


Life Goes On

by critterlady



Series: Tamara [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, Bastet - Freeform, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Cats, Gen, Iron Man 3, Mutants, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Not Thor: The Dark World Compliant, cat goddess, random gods and goddesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-09 00:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3228614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/critterlady/pseuds/critterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This arc will cover Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: The Dark World; along with bringing in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. It will not be Thor compliant because I think it stinks Frigga died and I hate the way Loki was treated but much of what occurred in the film can be inferred to have occurred in the arc, outside what I have written.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any Marvel characters mentioned in my stories. This work is entirely for fun and enjoyment. I do own all original characters; they will usually be marked as (OC/OFC/OMC) in the tags.

Flashback - June 2013 

High above New York, the helicarrier was a bustle of activity as usual as Maria Hill minded the bridge. Nick Fury was in his office when his comm buzzed.

“Sir, you have a coded message coming in.”

“Patch it through Hill.”

“Message is routed to your office, Sir.”

Fury read the message and allowed a small smile to break. “Agent Hill, my office.”

Maria Hill entered his office and stood at attention. “Sir”

“Relax Hill. I've got something you might want to see.” He handed her the tablet he was holding and waited for her reaction. He wasn't surprised to see her professional mask break and a genuine smile appear.

“He’s awake?”

“Prepare a quinjet, you'll pilot, level 10 classification. I want transponder scrambled and no communications once we leave the carrier. Sitwell will have charge of the carrier until we return. I want to leave within 10 minutes. Dismissed.”

Agent Hill forced herself to hide her smile as she exited Fury’s office to carry out her orders. Fury opened his desk and removed a small package, then tucked it into the pocket of his trench coat before leaving his office. As he made his way off the bridge, he observed Sitwell moving to the command position and he nodded, receiving a small nod in return.

Less than 2 hours later, Fury and Hill were landing at an airport. Fury led the way to employee parking and a small blue Toyota. Pulling out his keys, he unlocked the car and they drove off to an undisclosed location. Less than 15 minutes later, they reached their destination and walked into what looked like a small country store. Fury nodded to the older woman at the register and led the way into the back storeroom. He led them to a closet that Agent Hill was not surprised to find housed a hidden elevator.

When the elevator reached the bottom, it opened to reveal a long corridor with a single door. Fury led the way and opened the door to reveal what looked like a small apartment. An older woman was in the kitchen preparing coffee and she smiled when she saw Fury.

“Nicky, he’s awake and he remembers what happened. I told him you'd explain.”

“Thanks Martha”

She led them to a small bedroom that resembled a hospital room. Inside the room, Phil Coulson was sitting in bed as another man helped him exercise his legs.

“Phil”

“Director, Agent Hill”

“Just Nick right now, you’re not back on duty yet.”

“What happened?”

“It’s a long story, Phil. You died when Loki stabbed you, you were gone for almost 3 minutes. Just before they started to bag you up, a medic checked and found a very weak pulse. I brought in our best doctors, they didn't think you'd make it through surgery. You've been in a coma, I never told anyone you'd survived because we didn't know if you'd ever wake up.”

“How long?”

“Several months”

Coulson didn't reply at first but Fury knew what he had to be thinking but he waited for him to ask the big question. “So we won?”

“Yeah, we won; lost a lot of good agents; Romanoff managed to save Barton, though.”

“And the Avengers Initiative?”

“It worked, when they thought you died, they pulled together as a team. Stark really came through, just like you predicted he would. They all live together in Stark’s tower in New York. I’ll send you some reading material.”

“When can I rejoin them?”

“You won’t be; I've got another project I need you for. For now, we need to keep your survival a secret. You’re the best agent I've got, I can't lose you again. Right now, only Hill and I know you’re alive within the agency. The people here are all close friends; once they clear you for work, we'll bring you back in; Level 7 status only.”

“I need to tell Barton and Romanoff.”

“Let me worry about them, you just work on getting ready to go back to work."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Loki return to Asgard

It started with Thor and Loki; a week after the party the team returned to the tower from a battle to find they had company waiting on the deck. Tony invited them in as he divested himself of the armor but they didn't make themselves comfortable like they usually did. Instead, they just stood there, clearly uncomfortable with whatever had brought them back to Earth. When Loki entered the spacious common area with Tamara, he stopped short at the sight of the warriors waiting for them with grim faces. The thought of fleeing entered his mind but Sif must have anticipated this thought, for she glanced at Tamara with a sad look in her eyes though it never reached the rest of her features.

Thor could be heard exiting the elevator with Clint, laughing at some joke. But it grew quiet when he too saw the warriors waiting silently.

“What is this, somebody die?” Tony couldn't understand what could be so bad as to wipe the happiness right from Thor’s face.

“It is time?”

“It is, you may have the rest of this day to speak with your companions, your mother was able to arrange that. But we must speak privately first.” Sif walked back out into the cold November air and waited for Thor and Loki.

“Who sits in judgment this cycle?”

“The Egyptian pantheon, but Hades is not pleased. He demanded a surety for Loki’s return, and the other gods agreed. If Loki does not return to be judged, then Tamara shall be seized and judged in his stead.”

“That is forbidden, a mortal cannot be surety unless they are pledged to one of us.”

“They make an exception because Loki has sworn an oath to protect her with his own life. Bast has pledged to protect her until such time as Loki returns, and she shall honor the full oath, to protect those she calls family as well. Neither Bast, Athena nor Gaia were happy that the council demanded an innocent mortal as surety.”

Loki allowed the anger he felt to flash in his eyes. “They did it because they were afraid I’d flee, they know what she did for me and they dare threaten her. She must not know, none of them can know.”

“We all agreed, that is too much of a burden for a mortal; she shall not find out from us.”

When Loki and Thor re-entered the common area with Sif, everyone could see that Loki was angry but he refused to speak to anyone. Loki left the room and Thor slowly followed him. Thor found Loki in his room, carefully placing items in a small satchel which he left lying on the bed. “Thor, I will not wait, she cannot be in danger because of me.”

“Very well, do you have everything you need?”

“I take nothing with me; JARVIS, when the time comes for Tamara to leave, this satchel is for her. It must be her or Toi who comes to retrieve the satchel, no other shall be able to pass the barrier.” As he spoke, Loki exited his room and soon a green glow sprang up around the room and not even Thor could pass.

Loki hadn't bothered to change clothes as he returned to the common area. “I will not wait Sif. We go now.”

Loki, Sif, and Hogun stepped out onto the deck but Tamara followed. “Loki, wait. I want to come to Asgard as well.”

“Not this time, Thor and I must go alone.”

Tamara could see Loki was upset but she had no idea why. On impulse, she hugged him and felt him relax slightly. “Swear you will return to us.”

“I swear I shall do all I can within my power to return here when we are done on Asgard."

Sif pressed something into his hand as the Bifrost activated and he looked to see she had given him a necklace with a cat’s eye pendant. Loki allowed the chain to slip through his fingers, then he fastened it around Tamara's neck. "Promise to wear it always until I return, it will protect you; none can remove it save you or I."

Tamara barely had time to reply "I promise" before Loki and the others vanished in the portal. As Thor exited the building with Volstagg and Fandral, he stopped to give Tamara a reassuring hug before they too vanished with the Bifrost.

A contingent of guards awaited them all when they stepped from the Bifrost. They were both escorted to a separate section of the palace, reserved for visiting royalty. Hades waited for them, anger marring his features as usual. "This time you shall not escape punishment, Bast has declined to sit in judgment."

Loki and Thor both ignored Hades, he had always been jealous of any god with more believers, which meant he had very few friends among any pantheon. They were escorted to the chambers reserved for those being judged and found they were not the only ones whose actions were called into question this cycle. As Thor caught up with old friends, Loki went quietly to his assigned room.

Bast found him there later, discussing his actions with Gaia who volunteered to act as his representative before the council.

"Loki, I wished to explain my decision not to sit on the council."

"There is no need. Gaia said you spoke against the mortal as surety, instead pledging to protect her against the council."

"Our laws are clear, only a mortal pledged to one of us willingly may be surety. It matters not that we value them and the council knows this. Athena will call for judgment next cycle against the council for their decision. Did you give her the necklace?"

"Yes, although she thinks it a gift from me; she will not remove it until I return."

"Hades seeks to have you bound as Atlas was."

"He is only angry because Hela refuses him. Who sits in your place?"

"Anubis"

"He is fair and will weigh all our actions; I will accept his judgment; I wish to be alone."

Bast and Gaia left Loki alone, only speaking to him again as Thor was judged for his actions. Loki was to be judged next and Hades was determined to see him suffer. Hades showed every person he had killed while under the control of the Titan. He made sure to point out that Loki voluntarily accepted the control of the Titan.

Gaia did not disagree that Loki agreed to the control of the Titan, she only showed the reason why. She also showed how Loki tried to lessen the damage caused by the Chitauri. But more importantly, she showed his actions to help the mortals since he had been released from the control of the Titan.

Loki refused to say anything on his own behalf, still angry that Tamara had been threatened. Instead, Thor and Frigga spoke for him, along with Syn and Eir explaining what had happened to him. In the end, the council decided that Loki could not be allowed to go unpunished and he was sentenced to time in the dungeons of Asgard. Loki said not a word as he was led off to the dungeons.


	3. Chapter 3

Back on Midgard, Tamara couldn't help but feel that Loki and Thor had hidden something from her when they left. She was restless and wondered when Thor and Loki would return. Several days after leaving, Thor returned, alone. He found Tamara in the gym, working with the free weights. He hesitated to bother her but he had decided she needed to know why Loki did not return with him.

“Tamara, I must speak to you.”

“Thor, you're back. Is Loki upstairs?”

“Loki did not return with me.”

“Why? Didn't he want to?”

Thor sat down on a bench and motioned for Tamara to join him. “Aye, he did, but he must stay on Asgard for a while.”

Tamara could tell that Thor wasn't telling her everything. “Why, can I go visit him?”

“He would not want you to worry.”

“Thor, what's wrong, is he hurt? Why didn't he come back with you?”

“We went back to Asgard to be judged. Every millennium, all the beings that were called gods here on Midgard gather to be judged. Loki will be able to return once he has served the sentence passed by the tribunal.”

“Is he being punished for attacking us?”

“That is only a small part of it, my brother has done many things that are against the laws we agreed upon centuries ago.”

“Will he be back for Thanksgiving?”

“It will be some time before he is free to return.”

Tamara got up to leave the gym and Thor started to follow. “Tell everyone I’m not up to having company, I'll be in my suite.”

“Tamara, before he left, Loki’s only thought was to your safety. He left a satchel on his bed for you; I know not what it contains. All he told me was that only you or Toi will be able to cross the ward he has placed over his quarters. If you must flee before he returns, take the satchel and keep it close to you.”

Tamara turned to face Thor and he could see the tears brimming in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and ran for the stairs leaving Thor alone in the now quiet gym. When she reached her suite, she grabbed a bottle of juice and headed for the shower. She finished the juice as she grabbed clean clothes to change into after her shower. It was only after she had climbed into the shower that it really hit her that Loki wouldn't be back for who knows how long. She curled up on the floor of the shower as tears began to fall.

“Tamara, is something wrong?”

“Did you hear what Thor said JARVIS?”

“I did, is that why you are upset?”

“I just get a feeling Thor is hiding something. Why didn't they tell us before they left?”

“Perhaps they did not want you to worry.”

Tamara climbed out of the shower and dried off before pulling on jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m going out for a while JARVIS, I’m not sure when I’ll be back but I'll call if I have any trouble.”

“Very well, I will be monitoring your location and vitals.”

Tamara grabbed a coat before she left her suite. This time she didn't take Toi. Instead, she left her curled up sleeping knowing JARVIS would operate the elevator to send her to the main floor when she awoke. She took the elevator down to the lobby and nodded to the security guard before pulling up her hood. It was cold when she exited the building and a light rain had begun to fall. She walked across the street to Central Park and wandered through the park, her thoughts on Loki and what he might be doing. After a while, she left the park and headed for a small bookstore. She browsed around inside for some time before selecting a few books and paying for them, then heading back out into the cold rain. She took the subway to the stop closest to her favorite art store and purchased more supplies before deciding to head home.

The guard greeted her as she reentered the tower and made her way to the elevators. She scanned her fingerprint to allow access beyond the restricted point that separated the Avengers floors from the rest of the tower. When the elevator reached her floor, she noticed a light on in one of the guest bedrooms. Setting her packages down, she walked carefully down the hall, not knowing who would be on her floor. The door was open and she relaxed when she heard French in a familiar Cajun accent. She barely got through the door when she was grabbed up in a hug in Remy’s strong arms.

“Remy, why didn't you tell me you were coming?”

“Ah cher, I did not know until just a little bit ago. Logan is on the way with at least Oro and Marie but I was already in town. I stopped by to let your friends know we were in town and they said we could stay here. They thought you might enjoy the company.”

“They're right, I'm always happy to see you. Why are you here?”

“Hunting, as usual. The professor has been picking up distress from a young mutant somewhere but he can't narrow it down long enough for us to find them. He is hoping that with us here, he can use our locations to get closer.”

“I’d like to help if I can.”

“We can ask tomorrow but tonight, we relax. Now tell me why you upset, you know you can't hide it from me.”

Tamara sat down and told Remy about Loki and Thor leaving several days earlier and Thor returning alone, saying that Loki couldn't leave. She told him how she thought Thor was hiding something and that she felt like it was her fault Loki didn't return. Remy could hear the hurt in her voice and he wondered if she were right, that she was part of the reason Loki did not return. Further talk was stalled by the announcement from JARVIS that the others had arrived and were on their way up in the elevator. Tamara waited impatiently by the elevator with Remy and when the doors opened she fidgeted as she waited for her friends to exit. The first person she grabbed to hug was Marie, knowing how much she craved human contact then Logan wrapped his arms around her in a firm hug as well. Storm stood back watching them; even though she knew of Tamara, she didn't know her as well as the others did. Tamara didn't try to hug her, she just smiled and took her hand in a quick shake.

“Come on, let's get you all settled. I've got plenty of rooms for you to pick from.” Tamara led them down the hall and waited for them to each pick a door so they could leave their gear. “So, we can join the others for supper or we can eat here on my floor.”

“Doesn't matter but we need to be up early. Whoever this mutant is, the professor has been picking them up in the early morning hours.”

“It’s still early, wanna use the gym for a bit?”

Everyone spoke at once but it was clear they were all in agreement. Tamara was actually looking forward to showing Marie the outfit that Tony had created on the off chance she wanted to spar whenever she visited. She and Marie were close enough in size that they could share clothes and Tony had her try the suit out. Tamara led them down to the gym where she could see Steve and Thor sparring. She left Remy and Logan with Storm in the main room while she took Marie’s hand.

“C’mere, I got something I want to show you.” When they reached the locker room, Tamara opened the locker she used and pulled out a pile of gray fabric. She held it up and gave it a shake so Marie could see it was a jumpsuit. “Tony knew you are concerned about sparring with people so he made this for you. It’ll cover you completely but the hood is made so that you can breathe through and see through. He had me test it and it works great, try it on, please.”

Marie looked at the suit then took it from Tamara’s hand. “Why’d he even care? I’m not an Avenger.”

“No, but you are my friend, and he knows it makes me happy to see my friends happy.”

Marie was reluctant to remove her clothes in case someone walked into the locker room but Tamara simply pointed to a small changing room in the corner. Marie took the suit and emerged from the changing room a couple of minutes later clad in the gray suit. By the time Marie emerged, Tamara had changed into a similar suit but her face was exposed.

Tamara and Marie walked back out to the gym where they found Thor and Storm discussing their powers as Steve and Logan chatted about the war. Remy was standing by idly spinning cards as he waited for the two women. Both women walked to the sparring mat and soon they were throwing punches and kicks at each other as Remy watched. After only a couple of minutes, Remy joined them and they had a three-way sparring match going but Tamara soon bowed out to allow Marie and Remy time alone. Tamara sat and watched her friends for a few minutes before leaving the room. She made her way to the locker room and changed into a swimsuit before heading for the pool. It wasn't long before she was joined by Toi who actually liked to go swimming. She tossed a couple of balls around in the pool for Toi to chase before she could hear voices coming her way. She was still very self- conscious of the scars that covered her body so she climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around herself before Remy and Steve entered the room looking for her.

Before either one could say a word, she hurried past them into the locker room.

“Why she run?”

"She’s been avoiding me lately and I don't know what I can do to fix things between us.”

“What you do?”

“It wasn't me, not really. You know the SI party Tony hosted for Halloween?” When Remy nodded, Steve continued. “Well, Tamara insisted on arriving alone, she wanted to surprise us with her costume. She spent most of her time with this one guy who was dressed as a pirate.” Steve sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “She was careful, Tony warned her about the tricks guys can pull on a single lady. But this guy had a deal going on with one of the bartenders, he was getting her drunk.”

“It's fixed?”

“Huh, yeah, the team took care of him and Tamara gave him a taste of his own medicine by drugging him and dumping him in his room. She let him think he’d been treated the way he'd been treating women. That’s not the problem.”

“What is?”

“We didn't know he was getting her drunk until after I asked her to dance. I just wanted to make sure she was OK. She started talking about how the night was perfect and all.” Steve sat down on a bench as his thoughts drifted back to that night.

“What happen?”

“She kissed me, I was so surprised I kissed her back but I stopped when my mind caught up. It was after that we found out she was drunk; I feel like I took advantage of her. She’s been avoiding me ever since. She won’t be alone with me.”

“And you think she’s scared? She don't react like most people. She live alone for years with only that cougar of hers for company. She never date and she’s sensitive about her scars.”

“Why?”

“It different here, you see her, but people care what she look like and she got scars. People look at her in Miami like she a freak. Guys think she be desperate enough to have sex with them cause dem scars.”

“So what do I do?”

“Just give her time, but don’t treat her different. To her, words mean nothing; show her you are still her friend. Don't treat her different just because she kiss you.” Remy waited to see Steve‘s reaction and he wasn't surprised that he was confused. For a long time, Marie had been just his friend, until he almost lost her.

Tamara didn't bother to change, she just went straight to her suite and showered before pulling on a pair of warm sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt over a tank top and shorts. It was only early afternoon but Tamara wanted to give her friends a good home cooked meal so she rummaged in the fridge to see what she had on hand. She was disappointed to see she didn't have anything she needed to make a complete meal so she started making a list. “J, ask Bruce if he minds if I prepare supper for everyone tonight? I want to make something special since Remy and the others aren't by very often.”

A few minutes later, JARVIS replied that Bruce didn't mind and Tony and Clint had both asked if she was making dessert as well.

“Sure, send me a list of what we have upstairs and I’ll think of something. I’m either going to make spaghetti or lasagna for supper, haven’t decided yet. Can you place the double the usual orders at the butcher and bakery?”

“The list has been sent to your tablet. Would you like Happy to meet you downstairs?”

Logan stepped off the elevator and heard Tamara talking to the AI. “No, I’ll be fine. Just don’t tell Clint I went alone.”

“Might I remind you that you are in danger.”

“Kid, if you're in danger, you ain't leaving this tower alone.”

“Fine Logan, then you can go shopping with me.” Tamara grabbed her coat and tugged Logan back into the elevator. When they reached the garage, she started to head for her Jeep but Logan pulled out the keys to his instead and she followed him over to it.

She directed him to the butcher she preferred knowing JARVIS would have already ordered and that it would be ready for her to pick up. When they arrived, she left Logan waiting in front of the store while she went inside, only to return a couple of minutes later followed by a pair of employees carrying boxes. The boxes were loaded into the Jeep as Tamara signed for them, then they were off to the bakery. They followed the same procedure at the bakery but when they reached the grocery store, Logan followed her inside. It took a while to gather everything she needed and they had a full shopping cart by the time they reached the checkout.

The cashier eyed Logan as she rang up the groceries and Tamara waited patiently as the groceries were bagged and loaded into another shopping cart. When they were finally done, she turned to leave and almost missed the comment by the cashier to the girl behind them that Tamara had to be a whore, cause no way someone like her could know so many hot guys. Unfortunately for her, Logan had much better hearing and he stepped back quickly.

“Shut up you jealous little bitch. Don't ever call her that, she’s one of the nicest people you'll never have the pleasure to know. Might start thinking about a new line of work too, Stark won’t like you talking about his cousin that way.” A manager overheard the exchange but when he tried to apologize, Tamara just hurried past, tears welling in her eyes.

The groceries were loaded into the back of the Jeep and the employee tried to apologize as well but Logan ignored him as he started the Jeep. He slammed the door closed and glanced over at Tamara to see tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. Logan felt the wolverine side of him growling and he wished this was something he could tear apart with his claws. The physical violence he could handle but he didn't do emotional crap well. Tamara just pulled her coat tighter and gazed off into the distance as Logan drove them back to the tower.

By the time they reached the tower, she had stopped crying and was wiping her face with her sleeve to remove the tear tracks. Forcing a happier look on her face, she helped Logan load everything into the elevator but had him drop her off at her floor first. She went to her room and put her coat away before scrubbing her face down to remove the last traces of tears. Once she had her emotions under better control, she took the elevator up to the main floor and headed for the kitchen.

Logan was busy browning up the beef as he spoke quietly to Storm who was leaned against the counter beside him. When Tamara moved to the table to start preparing supper, Storm moved to join her.

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

“Nothing to talk about.”

“Logan did not say what has you upset but if I can see you are upset, perhaps it is best to talk to someone before you worry your friends.”

Tamara was quiet for several minutes as she tossed spices into the large bowl of ground beef. “It was just a stupid cashier at the store; it’s nothing.”

“Girl called her a whore” Logan practically growled. “That’s not nothing if it upsets you kiddo.”

“It’s not the first time” Tamara mumbled. “Doesn't matter anyways.”

“It does matter, to you it is hurtful even if no one else is bothered. Why would you think it does not matter?”

“Because they're always right. I can't find a nice guy who honestly wants to spend time with me. Being a nice person doesn't get you anywhere. Guys want a girl who looks good and no one is going to want someone covered in scars like I am.”

Steve, Remy, and Marie came off the elevator in time for Steve to hear the exchange. He felt guilty for kissing Tamara but it wasn't that he thought she wasn't pretty. He only felt guilty because she had been drunk and he didn't want to take advantage of anyone, especially someone he considered family. When Steve started to go into the kitchen, Remy simply shook his head ‘no’. “Let us go talk to her. If she upset she might think you jus’ tryin’ to make her feel better.”

Steve reluctantly agreed and left to go shower while Remy and Marie joined the group in the kitchen. When Steve returned after his shower, he could hear Tamara laughing with the others as she ordered them around the kitchen. He saw her put large pans of lasagna in the oven and his mouth watered, he loved her lasagna; but he was surprised to see her move to the stove to start cooking.

“Mm-mm, supper smells good. I thought Bruce was cooking tonight.”

“We switched, I wanted to cook since I have friends over, you don't mind do you?”

“Are you kidding? Everyone loves your lasagna.”

Tamara laughed, “Well, I didn't have enough pans so I'm making spaghetti too.”

Steve grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “I'll get out of your way then. You making meatballs too?”

“Yep, already cooking, but save room for dessert. I’m making cheesecakes and I got strawberries, cherries, and blueberries to top them.”

“You spoil them chér. How bout you come spoil us for a while, right Logan?”

“Y'all stop teasing her, sides I don't think the Avengers too eager to see her go, she got family now.”

“It’s fine Marie, even with the appetites here, cooking at the school would be just too much. Guess y'all just have to stop by more often. Now, go on, I got cookin’ to finish and too many cooks.”

“Go on boys, us ladies will keep Tamara company.”

The guys left the kitchen as Tamara continued to banter with Marie. Storm could see that she had relaxed and wasn't as upset as she had been earlier. Maybe Marie had the right of it, just take her mind off things until she was ready to deal with it. Tamara continued to chat with Marie as she cooked.

The guys came back to carry everything to the dining room as Tamara pulled trays of garlic bread from the oven. By the time she had everything ready to go, the rest of the team could be heard entering the dining room. Marie and Storm helped her carry the bread in and everyone took a seat. Soon the dining room was abuzz with conversation as everyone fixed their plates and started eating. Storm told the team what little they knew about the mutant, only that they felt young to the professor and they were obviously in trouble and needed to be rescued. It was no surprise that most of the others volunteered to help look with only Bruce and Tony staying at the tower due to time-sensitive experiments they had running.

When Tamara finished eating, she headed for her floor after clearing her plate. She didn't feel much like company after the remarks that cashier had made. She knew the others would be down when they finished but she just didn't feel like talking to anyone about what happened at the store or the party. She left the door to her suite cracked along with her bedroom door and she heard the others when they returned later. Tamara curled up under a thick blanket and soon drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When Tamara awoke the next morning, she decided to go for her run before everyone headed out to find this mutant the professor was sensing. It was early enough that she didn’t see Steve and to be honest, she was still too embarrassed about kissing him to face him alone. Taking Toi with her for the company, she spoke briefly to the security guard on duty before heading out to Central Park for an early run. When she reached a quiet part of the park, she sat down and waited for her churning emotions to settle.

Before long, JARVIS contacted her to head north towards Marcus Garvey Park and gave her an area to cover in the search for the mutant while the others were scattered all over the island as well. It was still early enough in the morning that not many people were around but Tamara waited for Toi to perch on her shoulder before heading north up Park Avenue before turning west at the south edge of the park. When they reached the park, Tamara stopped to let Toi climb off her shoulder.

Tamara moved slowly through the park, enjoying the quiet morning until Toi meowed softly, then allowed her glamor to drop to reveal her normal snow cat form. Tamara followed Toi who was walking slowly through the brush. Several minutes later she could hear something large crash into the brush and she stopped to see what it was. The noise turned out to be a young girl who was breathing heavily when she stopped beside a tree for a minute.

Tamara approached her slowly, “Are you OK?”

The girl was breathing so hard she couldn't talk but she shook her head ‘no’ very quickly. Toi appeared behind her and the girl didn't even flinch at the sudden appearance of a 50+ pound cat.

“Toi, lead her off somewhere safe, I'll find out what’s going on.”

Toi started to lope off and the girl followed but she collapsed exhausted against a tree before going very far. “Is someone after you?” Tamara asked. When the girl nodded ‘yes’, Tamara slung an arm over her shoulder and headed back for the street. Just as they broke cover from the trees, Tamara heard several people yelling and shots rang out behind them. The girl was small enough that Tamara was able to pick her up, so she grabbed her up and moved as quickly as possible towards safety, trying to keep trees between them and their pursuers as much as possible. When the girl yelled out in surprise, Tamara didn't stop running until pain blossomed across her body. As Tamara fell, she managed to roll away from the girl but it was painful. She reached for her communicator but realized she must have dropped it during her flight. The girl lay bonelessly on the ground and Tamara noticed a dart sticking out of the girl’s arm.

The area suddenly lit up with light and when it cleared, a woman in a long white gown stood before Tamara. The strange woman knelt when Toi approached but she showed no fear of the cat. The last thing Tamara saw before she passed out was Toi shifting into war cat form. The light flared again but not as brightly before steadying into a column of light that shot towards the sky. Toi had turned back towards the direction from which they had run and she was growling softly but she didn't leave Tamara’s side. When the woman approached Tamara, Toi chirruped, then returned to standing guard over the three people. The woman picked Tamara up easily and turned her over, frowning at the blood pooling on the ground.

Several blocks away, Thor was talking to Steve as they walked along the north side of Central Park. Steve noticed the light first and pointed it out to Thor. “Looks like you've got company, the Bifrost looks different from far away.”

Thor turned to look at the light, “That is not the Bifrost, that is trouble.” Without saying anything else, Thor swung his hammer and took off towards the light. Steve wasted no time in having JARVIS send everyone to converge on the unknown light, relaying that Thor said it meant trouble. JARVIS alerted everyone and started preparing a suit for Tony as Steve ran towards the light.

Wolverine was the closest to Tamara so he arrived first, only to see a strange woman holding Tamara in her arms. “Put her down!”

“I have no wish to harm you mortal, but the girl stays with me.”

Wolverine allowed his claws to slide out with a sharp snikt! “I said, put her down.” When the woman turned from him as though to leave with Tamara, Wolverine charged, only to be knocked to the ground by Toi. He tried to shove Toi off without harming her but she continued to push back. Storm arrived just before Thor but before she could react, Thor landed and hung Mjölnir back from his belt.

“Milady”

“Thor, I failed him, I was too late to stop her being wounded, I am sorry.” The woman walked slowly to Thor and gently handed Tamara over to him. “I know how Loki feels but she should know the truth of why he is not here. I cannot travel the hidden paths as easily as he.” She looked sadly down at Tamara, “And I cannot heal her wounds.” She stepped back from Thor as a small portion of the park began to glow; without turning she stepped into the glow and vanished.

Cradling Tamara to his chest, Thor took out Mjölnir and swung it several times before taking off back towards the tower. Toi allowed Wolverine to get back up and she shifted back to look like a house cat just as Steve arrived. Steve saw Thor take off just before he arrived and he slowed down. When he reached the park, Storm was examining a young girl who lay on the ground. She picked the child up and turned towards the two men as Logan told Steve that Tamara was injured. Clint pulled up in a Jeep and waited for the three adults to climb inside with the child and Toi before turning around to return to the tower.

When Thor reached the tower, he took Tamara not to Jake but to his quarters. He laid her gently on his bed, heedless of the blood dripping off her. Opening a small box, he removed a healing stone and used it on Tamara, then replaced it in the box. He pulled her shirt sleeve up and washed as much of the blood from her shoulder as he could, then cleaned her arm. By the time he finished, Tamara was beginning to wake up and she looked at him with a confused expression. He picked her up and moved to the elevator; when it reached her floor, he helped her to her room. When he started to open the door, Marie heard him and opened the door. She took one look at Tamara and stepped aside so Thor could set her down in a chair. Without another word, Thor turned and left the room.

When the others arrived back at the tower, Storm carried the girl off to have Jake check her out. She wasn't surprised when Jake informed her the girl was a mutant, she had suspected it when she saw the dart in the girl’s arm. Once Jake assured her the child was merely sleeping, she contacted the institute to arrange transport back.

Back at the park, a woman in a suit emerged from the bushes and watched as the Jeep pulled away. Once she was sure they were not returning, she walked carefully towards where Tamara and the girl had fallen. She slipped on a pair of gloves and carefully examined the bloody ground.

Pulling out several small bags, she opened one and began to fill it with blood covered debris from where Tamara had fallen. When she was sure she had gathered everything she could, she sealed the bags and tucked them down into the large purse she carried. She exited the park and made her way to a utility van parked nearby. Entering the back of the van, she ordered the driver to return to the facility.

When they returned to the facility outside New York, she handed the bags of debris to a woman in a lab coat. “Extract everything you can from the debris. She may one of the subjects we were hunting last year.” Once that was done, she made her way to an office. Knocking once, she opened the door and waited while the room cleared. “Sir, the X-Men have the subject, however, we may have a better one. There was a girl in the park, she found our subject and tried to flee. One of the men shot her several times but she was carried off by Thor. She resembles one of the subjects we were hunting last year. I gathered anything that might have her DNA, it’s in the lab now.” The man didn't say a word, just nodded and returned to his reports as the woman left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

When Tamara finished her shower, she dressed and went looking for Marie, only to find her tidying up the rooms the X-Men had used. “You're leaving?”

“Yeah, we gotta take that kid back to the institute. I don't know what’s going on but we're all being sent home. You be careful, Remy said he has a bad feeling that something’s going to happen to you.”

Tamara didn't say anything as she walked down the hall to the elevator with Marie. When the elevator reached the common floor, she could hear Thor arguing with someone. Instead of going to calm people down, she just went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of sodas and some sweets before heading towards the deck. It had cooled off considerably the past several days and it was clear that they would have no more warm days. Tamara pulled a blanket off a chair and walked outside to curl up with Toi.

She was staring off to nowhere just thinking when Clint came looking for her. “Thor’s looking for you. Everybody wants to know about that strange woman today but he won't say anything until you’re present.”

She looked up at Clint and saw the worry in his eyes, “I'm sorry, I won't go out alone again.”

Clint didn't say anything to her, just followed her back inside where everyone was gathered in the media room. Tamara was still embarrassed by her behavior at the party and she couldn't look Steve in the face when she went to take her usual seat. She shivered in spite of the warm room and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. But when Steve moved his arm so she could snuggle against him, she relaxed and let him pull her closer, enjoying the extra warmth his body gave off.

“It will be a short while before I can explain about today, or what I know of it. I have asked Heimdall to have Sif bring some guests to join us.”

Tamara dozed off as they waited, warm and cozy from the heat Steve’s body produced. It was over an hour later when Steve gently nudged her awake. “Thor just went outside, I guess Sif is here.”

Tamara stretched as Thor walked back into the media room followed by Sif and the Warriors Three escorting three women. Tamara recognized one as the woman she’d seen in the park that morning. The strange woman knelt as Toi approached them and everyone was surprised when Toi went belly up to be petted by the strange woman. The three women took seats as the others moved to stand by the wall.

“My friends, I have invited these ladies here to meet Tamara. But first, I must explain why Loki did not return with me. As I told Tamara, every millennium, all the beings that Midgard called gods meet to be judged. Any of these beings can call into question the actions of another and a tribunal will decide if the actions were within our laws. Each side presents their views and may argue against what the other side shows was the correct actions. I believe it to be very similar to your courts of law here, except that instead of witnesses, the watchers of each realm show what occurred, with no bias towards either party. Magic is used to show the events as they occurred but each party may choose what events to show. The only other beings who may speak to the tribunal on behalf of either party are the healers, and they must only describe any wounds that are in question. Is this part clear to everyone?”

Everyone nodded, still not sure what this had to do with Loki as Thor continued. “Loki and I were called back to Asgard for this tribunal. I was lucky, very few of my actions were called into question but I was judged and my punishment was set. Loki however, has a powerful enemy in another realm and he called for Loki to be judged, as he does every tribunal.”

Tony interrupted, “And your tribunal allows this harassment to continue? Just how long has this been going on?”

Thor was quiet for a few minutes, “Hades is powerful among his own pantheon and no one wishes to cross him. He is careful not to go after Loki himself every tribunal but everyone knows he is involved. Unfortunately, we have no laws against this behavior so Hades is free to persecute Loki every tribunal. This time, Loki was judged not just for his actions against Midgard but for his actions in Asgard as well. For his crimes, he has been sentenced to the dungeons of Asgard. It will be many months before he is free to return here.”

Thor allowed this time to sink in before continuing. “It is because Loki is imprisoned that I have asked these ladies to join us. I do not wish any of you to come to accidental harm from them. I am pleased to introduce the Lady Bast from Dúat, and the ladies Gaia and Athena from Olympus.” Each lady had bowed her head slightly as Thor introduced them but Tamara was most interested in Bast.

Unsurprisingly, it was Steve who stood to greet the three ladies. “Welcome to Earth, it is an honor to meet you all. However, I’m sure what everyone would like to know is why exactly are you here now and what is your interest in Tamara?”

The woman that Thor had introduced as Gaia did not rise from her seat but it was clear she was in charge. “We came because we wished to meet the mortal for whom Loki would risk his life.”

“What do you mean?”

“It has not happened often but in the past the tribunal has decreed that the crimes committed were serious enough to warrant long lasting punishment, more like torture in my opinion. Atlas was bound to hold the world for his crimes while Prometheus was doomed to have his flesh rent by a giant eagle for bringing fire to man.”

“What does that have to do with Tamara and Loki?”

“Hades convinced the tribunal that Loki would flee unless a mortal he valued was at risk; the tribunal agreed. Had Loki not returned to be judged, Tamara would have been seized and judged for his crimes and faced his punishment. A pure mortal has never survived, only those who are children of gods have survived.”

Athena was quick to interrupt, “We mean no harm to Tamara and spoke against the tribunal; we will be calling them to judgment next cycle for violating the laws we established. By our laws, only a mortal pledged to one of us may be surety. Though Loki values Tamara, she is not pledged to him, rather he is pledged to protect her.”

“Wait, so Jane Foster could be held to ensure Thor obeys?”

“Nay, not yet, only if she was my betrothed could she be held in my place. Concern for her safety is why I have not asked her yet.”

“So that detail makes a difference? But that doesn't explain why you are really here. What do you want with Tamara?”

Tamara could feel the scrutiny coming from Bast, who had yet to speak and she was curious. “And what about you milady? You were at the park this morning, weren't you? What is your interest in me?”

“You wear my token, Loki led you to believe it was a gift from him but it was not. I count Loki as a friend and I pledged to protect you in his stead. My sorcery is minor compared to his seidr; I cannot travel the hidden paths as quickly as he can nor am I able to heal. My magic is far more useful in battle.”

“What about the child of one of you, can they be held instead?”

“Our laws prohibit that upon penalty of death. The child is fostered to a separate party from the disagreement to ensure that they are not harmed. Because our lives are far longer than ordinary mortals, we bear children less often. None of us would ever knowingly harm a child, not even of our enemies.”

“Is that why Odin took Loki?”

“She is clever, I see why Loki is drawn to her. But yes, Loki was left to die by his people because he was an undesirable child, a weakling. Not all the inhabitants of the realms eternal view children as we do. The frost giants, among other peoples, bear children often, usually twins. They live in a harsh environment so only the stronger child is kept, the other is left to the elements to die.”

“So Loki has a twin?”

“No, he has several siblings but his twin died in childhood, the victim of an attack by a creature from their world. Odin hoped that by fostering Loki he could help end the wars between the Jotun and Asgard; Laufey was the king of Jotunheim.”

“All that is interesting but it still doesn't explain why you’re here and what you want with Tamara.”

“We want nothing from her, we are here because we disagreed with the tribunal. Hades has been known to seek retribution in the past when he has not gotten his way. We have all sworn to protect Tamara until Loki is released. Gaia’s talents lie in healing while Athena and I are gifted in battle. Athena is a mighty warrior but my talents lie elsewhere in battle.”

“Is it true that you can assume the form of a cat?”

Bast laughed, “I am not a shapeshifter, but I can command cats of any kind to do my bidding. I use my talent with cats to seek information that is useful in battle, but when forced, I am a powerful warrior.”

“You are as a mother protecting her kits from harm. Do not let her kindness fool you when one she values is in danger, Bast is a very formidable opponent.”

“I am no more dangerous to the mortals than any of the rest of our peoples. However, the people of Dúat are no friends to Hades and as a group, we often oppose his actions. Do not be surprised if strange beings appear to aid you all until Loki returns. The Olympians are not likely to show up beyond Athena and Gaia, they do have to live near Hades after all, but even Hades will not cross Gaia.”

“We have done what we came to do, Thor, we leave you to your companions.”

“One moment, I have a small spell to cast, if Tamara will permit it.”

“What will it do?”

“Merely attune your necklace to all three of us and to the people of Dúat. Right now, I am the only one to whom it is attuned. By attuning it to others, it will send a signal to the most helpful of us, even if you are not yet aware you will need assistance.”

“It’s fine with me. Does anybody else have objections?”

When no one spoke, Bast crossed the room and took the cat’s eye pendant in hand, never removing it from Tamara; a soft glow enveloped her hand and when it dissipated, she released the pendant. “The spell is upon the necklace now. When Loki is free to return, it shall be no more than a pretty piece of jewelry.”

Tamara bowed slightly in respect, “Thank you, Lady Bast. It was an honor to meet all of you.”


	6. Chapter 6

Tamara was surprised by everything they'd been told but more importantly, she was hurt that Thor and Loki hadn't trusted them. Thor walked outside with Sif, talking softly but Tamara just ignored him. Without saying a word to anyone, she left the room and went down to her workroom. She checked on her plants and drying herbs, then just tucked herself back into a corner and cried. She'd been holding everything in since the party, all her fear at what could have happened and her anger at being used. But now, finding out Loki was willing to risk his life for her, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She was hurt that he hadn't trusted her with the truth but in a way, she understood. It wasn't that he didn't care about her, it was because he cared so much that he didn't tell her the truth.

When she didn't show up for supper, everyone became concerned. Ever since she'd been changed on Asgard, the only times she missed a meal was when she was sick. Thinking that everyone understood and not knowing that Tamara was upset, Thor had left New York to visit Jane in New Mexico. JARVIS had confirmed that she hadn't left the building but no one directly asked him where she was. Therefore, it was a surprise for Tony to find Dummy missing from the lab while he was looking for Tamara.

"J, where's Dummy?"

"He is in the greenhouse with Tamara."

Tony asked JARVIS to inform the others that he'd retrieve Tamara from the greenhouse and they'd be up in a few minutes. However, when he finally found her asleep with Dummy resting his arm across her back, he had second thoughts. "How long has she been down here J?"

"She came down right after Thor's guests left. Sir, she has been overly stressed since the party but she insisted she was fine when I inquired."

"She looks so young right now, I think sometimes we forget just how young she really is. Tell the others she's in the middle of something. See if Pepper will bring our supper down when she's done, I'll stay here with Tamara."

"Yes Sir"

It wasn't long before Pepper came downstairs, several containers of Chinese on a tray. She was surprised to find Tony in the greenhouse, seated on the floor beside Tamara and gently rubbing her back.

"Oh Tony, has she been down here all day?"

"JARVIS said it's the one place she knows no one will bother her. Pep, are we wrong to let her fight with us? Are we pushing her too hard?"

"I didn't think it was right for her to be out there with all of you, but I also know we can't stop her. She's too stubborn to stay out of trouble, but if she's with the team, at least she has the backup."

"I wish we'd known her before her life went to hell."

"We can't change the past but we can make her future better. Why don't I take her out tomorrow? We can all have dinner together someplace nice."

"You think that will cheer her up?"

"We can discuss Christmas plans as well. We need to go to the LA offices mid-December. Maybe we could invite everyone to Malibu for Christmas."

"I'll think about it. Go ahead upstairs, I'll get her upstairs and then I'll join you."

"Don't be too long."

"I won't." Pepper turned and left Tony in the greenhouse with Tamara. He sat quietly with her for several minutes, then he gave in and picked her up. JARVIS opened the elevator doors and took them directly to Tamara's floor. When Tony had replaced her door, he added an electronic lock so JARVIS could open the door remotely. The door opened and he carried Tamara inside to her room. Slipping her shoes off, he tucked her into bed, then slid the blanket over her. Almost immediately, she rolled over and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself as Toi curled up beside her, purring softly. Tony slipped out quietly and went upstairs to join Pepper in their room.

Steve saw Tony on the main floor when stopped to grab another cup of coffee on his way up to join Pepper.

“Tony?”

“Yeah Cap?”

“Is Tamara OK? It’s not like her to miss a meal with everyone.”

“Huh, she’s fine, just got busy with something. She went straight to her room when she left the greenhouse, probably already in bed. Night Cap”

Steve didn't say anything else to Tony but he'd lived in the tower long enough to know Tony was hiding something. He waited for Tony to leave, then gathered his sketching supplies and returned to his floor. Once he was alone, he decided to see if his hunch was correct. “JARVIS, did Tony see Tam in the greenhouse?”

“He did”

“Was Tamara upset or mad at any of us?”

“Not at the time he found her.”

“OK, when did she go to the greenhouse?”

“She went to the greenhouse immediately after Thor’s guests left.”

“Was she upset then?”

“I am not at liberty to discuss this without her permission.”

“I understand, but I'm worried about her. You've noticed she’s been avoiding me since the party.”

“Indeed”

“I don't know if she’s mad at me or scared or what. But she won't be alone with me since then. All I can figure is that it’s because she kissed me and I kissed her back. But if I'd known that she was drunk, I’d never have taken advantage of her like that.”

“Captain, if she initiated the kiss, then you did not take advantage of her, you merely responded as any normal man would.”

“But I feel like I did, I should have noticed she was drunk; she’d never do something like that otherwise.”

“Based on my observations since that night, I do not believe she is afraid of you. Perhaps she is embarrassed or thinks you might be embarrassed and she is merely giving you time to decide if you still wish to be her friend.”

“Of course I do, I care about her, she’s part of the team.”

“If she were not part of the team, would you have responded any differently to her kiss?”

“I don't know, but I still feel it was wrong because she was drunk. I've seen people do things they wouldn't normally do, simply because they were drunk.”

“That may be true sir, but alcohol in small quantities can help a person lose inhibitions that are holding them back from taking certain actions.”

“So what you’re saying is maybe she wanted to kiss me before then but was afraid of rejection or something?”

“I do not know the reason she kissed you, but it is always a possibility. She is certainly closer to you than to anyone else.”

“But I’m so much older than her.”

“If I may point out sir, not counting your time in the ice, you are a young man of 26. Tamara was raised very differently from most young people her own age. Her values and interests are more closely aligned with your own. If nothing else, she is a good match for you as a friend and it would upset you both to lose that friendship.”

“You've got a point there. Can you at least tell me where she is right now?”

“She is currently in her room sleeping, Sir took her there from the greenhouse.”

“Thanks JARVIS, goodnight.”

“Goodnight Captain”

Steve sat quietly, thinking about what JARVIS had said about being friends with Tamara. He was right about one thing, they did have a lot in common. She was more likely to watch old movies from before the war with him than anyone else. And if he happened to slip up and use a phrase or term from when he grew up, she usually knew what he meant without question. A lot of modern music confused him, much of it was too loud or made no sense, nothing at all like the music he had grown up on. Before going to bed, he decided to approach Tamara the next day and let her know she shouldn't be embarrassed and that he didn't want to lose her friendship.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve was sleeping soundly later that night when he began to have another nightmare about losing Bucky. He replayed the events on the train in his dream but when Bucky fell into the swirling snowstorm, he awoke with a start, sitting upright in his bed. He sat there for a few minutes, then rubbed his hand across his face. He knew from experience that he'd never get back to sleep so he didn't even bother trying. He just dressed in a pair of sweatpants and left his room. He went into his kitchen and grabbed a snack as he looked at the clock - 3 am. With a sigh, he left his quarters and made his way down to the gym. Wrapping his hands with tape, he began to pound away at a heavy bag.

He was lost in his memories of Bucky and never heard anyone else enter the gym so he was surprised to see Tamara sitting quietly in the corner watching him, Toi curled up beside her in her war cat form. He realized then that the odd noise he'd been hearing for several minutes had been Toi purring as Tamara stroked her soft coat. “You OK?”

“I guess. How bout you?”

“Nightmare, can’t sleep afterward and I can’t beat up the ones responsible for them, so here I am.”

Tamara didn't move from her spot but he heard her when she said softly, “Bucky?”

Steve grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge and walked closer. He sat down, his back to the wall and handed a bottle to Tamara. “Yeah, sometimes I swear he’s alive and then other times it feels like he’s dead. We were always real close, his mom joked I was like his weaker twin. We used to laugh about it but somehow he always knew when I was in a fight and he'd show up to save my ass.”

“That’s why you went after the 107th, isn't it?”

“Yeah, ” he said softly. “But I couldn't tell anyone that I knew he wasn't dead yet. He told me he used to get an itchy feeling when I got in a fight, but he didn't tell me that until after I got to the war.”

“You loved him”

Steve gave Tamara a funny look.

“Not like that, he really was like a brother to you. I remember my sister when we were little, we always knew how the other one felt. Losing her, it felt like I lost a piece of my soul.”

“Yeah, it still feels like something is missing but sometimes..”

“What?”

“You might think I'm crazy for saying it, but sometimes it feels like he never died. That old pull is as strong as it was before I lost him.”

“Maybe in a way he’s not gone. You remember what my grandmother said about what the Rom believe, that death is just a passage into a different plane of existence? I know you were raised Catholic so you were taught to believe in the concept of heaven and hell right?”

“Yeah, but I don't know how much of that I believe these days.”

Tamara laughed, “Yeah, aliens from Asgard and mutants and a lot of other stuff wasn't taught back then. Nowadays, some Catholics claim mutants are the spawn of Satan, just like aliens who come here to harm us while aliens like Thor are sent from God. The Rom always believe in things most people would classify as supernatural these days. We believe in elves and pagan gods but now we're finding out that they were just aliens from other worlds. So maybe some of the fantasy creatures were from other worlds as well. Anyways, whenever my sister has contacted me to provide a warning, I've always felt like she was almost alive again.”

“You're saying that maybe the Rom had it right, that death is just a transition to a different existence. If that was true, then it would mean that the times I felt Bucky again, he was trying to contact me or something? I don't know if that’s something I can wrap my beliefs around.”

“Steve, all that matters is if you believe he is reaching out to you, whether it's from another plane of existence or your idea of heaven.”

“I guess you’re right. So what woke you up?”

“It wasn't dreams of my sister this time but I'm sure I've had this dream before.”

“Wanna talk about it? Have to admit, I feel better about losing Bucky if I think about it like you said, he’s just in a different place but he’s still reaching out to me.”

“I just remember bits and pieces. A bunch of men with weapons chasing me. Running through Central Park. A man with dark hair, he hits me and before I can get up, he jabs me with a needle. Pain. A metal arm. Explosions. A different man with dark hair and he’s bleeding, but he’s got an arm around my waist and we're standing in the lobby downstairs looking at you. Waking up cuffed to a bed, a gag over my mouth. I'm on a bike of some kind at night in the woods with a man behind me. A car wreck. A lot of bodies. A voice I don't know reassuring me.” Tamara shuddered at the memories.

“All that from one dream?”

“No, this is the third time that I know of I've dreamed something like this, they just all feel connected, like it’s all part of one dream. I’m scared Steve.”

“Why, it’s just a dream.”

“I don’t think so when my grandmother was young, her prophecies always started as dreams but as she grew older she learned to control her gift and she could see things when she was awake. I've only had dreams like this a couple times before, ones that seemed related. I think all that is going to happen at some point.”

“I'm guessing those dreams came true if you’re sure this is going to happen.”

“Yeah, I dreamed about losing my sister, we were always together and I lost her. But in the dreams, she wasn't dead, just lost. Like getting separated on a field trip and no one could find her, that kind of thing. I dreamed about my dad not coming home from a fire and my mom never showing up to get me from someplace. The one thing they all had in common was I had the dream 7 times before it stopped. Not long after that, always less than 6 months later, whatever I dreamed happened.”

“C’mere” Steve held out a hand to Tamara and she moved closer, settling down beside him on the floor. “You know all of us love you right? When you can't protect yourself, we'll protect you. And if someone does manage to take you away from us, I promise, we will tear the world apart looking for you. We're not just a team Tam, we're a family and families look out for each other.”

“Ohana”

“What?”

“Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. You've never seen Lilo and Stitch have you?”

“I don’t think so.”

“C’mon, enough doom and gloom, let’s get you educated.”

Relieved that Tamara was no longer uncomfortable around him, Steve followed her up to the main floor. They grabbed some snacks and drinks on their way to the media room. JARVIS already had the movie ready to start and soon they were enjoying Lilo and Stitch. They sat and talked more after the movie ended but eventually they both relaxed enough to doze off together.

Clint was the first one up the next morning and he was surprised that Steve wasn't already in the kitchen for breakfast. “Hey J, where is Steve this morning?”

“He is in the media room”

“Thanks”

Clint walked into the media room but stopped at the door when he saw the two of them asleep in the room. He turned to leave but Steve heard him and sat up, motioning Clint to be quiet as he slipped from the room, leaving Toi curled up watching over Tamara.

“Morning”

“Hey Cap, you been up long?”

“Nah, couldn't sleep last night.”

“Look like she couldn't either”

“She said she had a nightmare, it's really got her spooked too.”

“Why?”

As he made pancakes, Steve told Clint that Tamara believed her nightmare was really going to happen and why. “I know her grandmother told you to protect her but it sounds like we all fail her. I promised her if it did happen, that we'd tear the world apart looking for her because we're a family. Then she said some funny word, said it meant something about family.”

“Ohana?”

“That's it, anyways, I didn't recognize the quote so she brought me up here to be educated on the movie. You know, the social worker kinda reminds me of Fury, only with glasses instead of an eye-patch.”

Clint laughed, “You've got a point, bald man who secretly deals with aliens.”

“We sat and talked for a while before she fell asleep. I guess I dozed off not long after her.”

“If she's that upset, then maybe we ought to warn the others. If nothing else, it might reassure her that she’s safe.”

“I don’t know, it feels like it would be wrong to just tell everyone without asking her first.”

“So ask, but I’m telling Tash for sure. Pepper said something last night to her about taking Tam out for the day. If she knows Tam’s scared, she’ll probably go along, just to make her feel safer.”

“Just wait till we get back from our run, if she’s not up by then, I can’t stop you from telling Tash but you should really ask Tam first. I won’t tell anyone else without her permission, I really shouldn't have told you.”

Both men were surprised to hear Tamara behind them. “It’s fine Steve, I don’t mind that you told Clint.”

“He didn't tell me everything, just you were sure that this nightmare is gonna come true. You feel up to talking to everyone about it?”

“I don’t know, it doesn't sound crazy? Believing a nightmare is really gonna happen?”

“Kid, I've seen too much stuff that most people would never believe to think anything like that is crazy. I mean, we live with a real sleeping beauty.” Clint grinned at Steve who gave him a playful punch.

“C’mon, let’s get our run finished and we can talk about it over breakfast with everyone.”

Tamara grabbed some fruit to snack on as she made her way towards the elevator. “I’ll meet you both in the lobby, just gotta grab my running shoes.”


	8. Chapter 8

By the time she met them downstairs, she had reconciled herself to telling the others about the dreams; she just hoped they understood why they scared her. She pushed those thoughts away when she saw both men chatting with the guard on duty at the front desk. The guard called out a greeting as she walked over and soon the three of them were headed out the front doors of the tower. By now, most people who were out this early knew to just ignore Tamara when she went running with Clint and Steve. She did have to admit, she liked not having men holler and whistle when she ran by and she figured the guys liked not having women do the same to them. As she started to jog slowly to warm up, Steve moved to her left and Clint to her right, clearly there to shield her from unwanted attention. It was cold and rainy that morning so they cut the run short when the drizzle turned into a downpour, cutting through Central Park as they hurried back to the tower. It was no surprise to find the desk guard waiting with a stack of towels when they returned.

The three of them returned to the main floor after warm showers and a change of clothes; most of the rest of the team was already up and headed for the kitchen.They joined Bruce in preparing breakfast and getting the table set. Tamara had Tony’s coffee ready and at his place, just in time for him to come in followed by Pepper.

Breakfast was usually a mostly quiet affair but once everyone had some caffeine and food in their stomachs, the chatter began. Since it was a weekend, the team didn't have as much activity as they did the rest of the week. Tony announced they were all going out to dinner that evening and they would discuss Christmas plans then. Pepper confirmed with Tasha that they were going out for the day and she insisted that Tamara accompany them.

Steve knew Tamara needed to hear from the others that they'd help protect her from whatever it was in her dreams but it was Clint who brought the subject up. “Hey JARVIS, can you find out if Thor is awake? We need to have a team meeting on a personal matter and he should hear it too.”

By the time they had finished eating, JARVIS had confirmed that Thor would be available whenever they were ready to conference. Tamara picked up one of the sketch pads lying around the media room and began to draw, trying to remember whatever she could from the dreams. She had parts of a couple of sketches by the time Steve joined her. He noticed the small pile of papers beside her and she just nodded when he asked if he could look at them. He flipped through the incomplete sketches, noticing that they really didn't have anything definite to go on. When Clint came in the room with Tasha, Steve handed him the sketches. Bruce, Tony, and Pepper were the last to arrive as JARVIS brought up a screen for the conference.

“Greeting friends, is all well there?”

Tamara continued to sketch but Clint noticed when she tensed up. “I'm really not sure, but it’s best to hear everything first hand. I only know a little because Steve told me this morning. Everyone looked at Steve, but he just put a hand on Tamara’s arm in a reassuring manner before picking up the pile of sketches.

“I’m not the one with the problem, Tamara is. You should look at these sketches.”

Clint passed the first set of sketches to Bruce as he took the second set from Steve. Tamara didn't look up as she started to talk. “I've been having a recurring dream and it scares me. I know all this is going to happen, especially given Nadia's warning, but I don't know when.”

Nobody had noticed Jake joining them until he spoke up. “How many times?”

Tamara looked up at him, then back down quickly as she sketched. “Three, that I remember, maybe more. What if I'm already close to seven Jake? It feels just like they did every other time, I just want this to stop, I don't want to know.”

Jake sat down beside her and rubbed her back soothingly. “It'll be OK, you know because you need to.” He looked at the others. “The other times she’s talking about is when she lost her family. She had dreams seven times and they always came true within a few months. Unlike Nadia, she can't control it, and it’s only happened a few times.”

Tamara finished the last page and handed it to Steve who noticed the sheet was covered in multiple smaller sketches. He studied it as Tamara talked, noticing the small details of scars on the man’s back. There was a closeup of his face but a black mask covered the lower half. Another of him holding a gun in one hand and a note on the side pointing to the left arm and the word ‘metal’.

“Those sketches are all bits and pieces of the dream or dreams. I know its all connected but I don't know how I do know the man in the sketch Steve’s holding is a key part.”

“What do you remember?”

“Like I told Steve last night, just bits and pieces. A man with dark hair that hits me and jabs me with a needle. Pain. I'm on a bike of some kind at night in the woods with a man behind me. Running through Central Park. A bunch of men with weapons chasing me. Explosions. Waking up cuffed to a bed, a gag over my mouth. A voice I don't know reassuring me. A car wreck. A lot of bodies. A man with dark hair and he’s bleeding badly. A metal arm.”

The sketch made it to Tasha as Tamara finished talking; she took the sketch and cursed. “вот дерьмо, зимний солдат”

Clint was the only one who understood. “He’s a ghost.”

“Who?”

“There is a legendary assassin, he is referred to as the Winter Soldier. There are kills attributed to him all the way back to the end of World War II. SHIELD believes that is a series of men, trained in something like Red Room, not just one man. These are always very high profile jobs, ones that nobody else would ever touch. And no witnesses have ever been found, anyone in the room with the target is dead. The only redeeming quality that has ever been reported is the jobs don’t take place when children are present. Some of the jobs have occurred just after children left the room and the target was alone for only a minute or two. Even security cameras and other electronic surveillance get nothing concrete, just data loops or static during the time of the job. Whoever they are, they're very good; every bit as good as us.”

“You know the Red Room was trying to duplicate Steve’s serum but didn't have much success. Every batch of girls they trained, we fought for the right to be made better. We were never told what happened to those who failed the tests. I got on Shield's radar when it still had former SSR agents involved.”

“Wait a minute, just how old are you?”

“I really don't know, I was just a child when I was taken to the Red Room. There was a man with a metal arm who trained me after I had beaten the other girls in my group; he was referred to as Winter Soldier. All I know is he had a controller, someone who told him exactly what to do. He didn't eat or sleep unless he was ordered to and the only time he had anything resembling free will, was in the training areas. He'd be told to teach me but it was up to him how. When I was chosen as a Black Widow, my reward was to be injected the serum.”

“What serum, you mean like Steve’s?”

“Nothing like Steve’s, they never could duplicate Erskine’s formula. They tried several formulas, I was one of the lucky ones; several girls went crazy because of side effects of the serum. I just got stronger, faster, more agile than other girls. We never knew it would keep me from aging like it has. After two decades of jobs for the Soviets, I was ordered to kill a little girl to convince her father the people who had my contract meant business. I refused and they sent a different Widow in to do the job. I went on the run after that, only taking jobs when I had no other choice, but that’s how I ended up with Clint hunting me. I took down a target that SHIELD was using and they sent Clint to kill me. He made a different call and you all know the rest.”

“Why did he have a metal arm? Did they replace it?”

“I don't know about the current soldier, but the one who trained me was badly injured at some point. I heard his controller talking with another officer once, they said his arm had been too badly injured to save when they got him. But I wouldn't put it past them to mutilate later soldiers just to make people think he was a ghost. That’s why the widows always looked similar, to keep us anonymous.”

“You think he’s coming after me Tasha?”

“Maybe, you've been seen with all of us. If someone thought they could threaten you to control us..”

“She could go to a safe house, SHIELD has several nearby.”

“No, I'm not running away and hiding like a scared child. Besides, I'm safer here where all of you are close by but I won't argue about anyone tagging along if I go out either.”

“OK, at least we all know now and we can watch out for you better. If you keep having these dreams, notify JARVIS and give him whatever additional information you can. He'll see to it the rest of us get it, might be a good idea to pass it along to Remy and Logan as well.”

“Now about today, Tam you've never really had a day out with just Tasha and me, so we're spending the day together. We'll see the guys at supper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> вот дерьмо, зимний солдат - Shit, Winter Soldier


	9. Chapter 9

“Any idea where you’re going Pep? Happy can drive, but do you want extra guards?”

“Only if you can find a couple more women like Tasha, we're spending the day shopping and at the spa since I know Tam’s never been to one.”

“Shall I book your usual Miss Potts?”

“Yes but let them know we need a private suite and all employees need to be female for today. I’m not sure on a time yet.”

“Hill is in town, I could ask if she'd like to get pampered just for acting as security backup. I think she’s off today.”

“That'd be great Tasha, have her meet us here in a half hour if she’s interested.”

Tasha sent a quick text message and had a reply in minutes. “She’s in, she’ll be here in 15.”

“That’s just enough time for us to change then, we’ll meet Happy downstairs. Wear something comfortable and easy to change.”

Tamara returned to her suite and changed into something she could move in easily but that still covered her scars. She decided not to wear her usual boots, instead opting for a pair of shoes that were comfortable for her to run in. When the elevator stopped at her floor, she found Pepper and Tasha already in it and Tasha nodded approvingly at her choice of clothes. They met Maria downstairs where she waited with Happy and soon the four women were off for a day of pampering.

Happy spent the next several hours taking them to multiple stores and waited while they shopped. Tamara was coaxed into buying outfits that showed off her figure to her best advantage instead of just clothing she was comfortable in. Pepper even talked her into a simple dress that made her look more mature and sexier without revealing a lot of skin. The final stop was for new lingerie and Pepper arranged for Tamara to receive a proper bra fitting. While Tamara was occupied, the three older women selected several items for themselves but Pepper and Natasha selected items for Tamara. Pepper had one set of lingerie put aside for Tamara to wear that evening with her dress.

When Tamara came out of the fitting room, she had no idea what the other three had planned for her but Pepper encouraged her to look for something sexy, even if she never wore it for someone else. Most of what she selected, however, was practical underthings but she did have a weakness for stockings instead of pantyhose. When she found old-fashioned fishnet stockings with the seam up the back, she selected several pairs including a couple in bright colors. A simple black garter belt was added to wear with the stockings and she was ready.

The final shopping was for new shoes and they did manage to talk her out of her comfort zone and into a pair of heels. Tamara hated heels because it was impossible to run in them and she didn't like the idea of being vulnerable. Pepper finally resorted to bribing her with a pair of lace-up knee boots and a pair of short ankle boots that she could wear with her stockings. She had seen Tamara glance at the knee boots and realized that deep down, Tamara wanted them, even if she didn't realize it.

After the shopping was done, Pepper called Tony to let him know they were headed for the spa. He promised to have someone there before they were ready for massages and asked if Tamara was enjoying herself. Pepper commented that she seemed happier and she had some new things, including an outfit for the evening but they would need to scale back dinner plans to someplace she would be more comfortable.

Tony left the dinner decision up to JARVIS who suggested a steakhouse. Tony had him provide the dinner information to the rest of the men in the tower and to Pepper, as he returned to his designs. It wasn't long before Bruce was stopping in to make sure he left the shop in time to get clean and changed for dinner. Steve and Clint had gone to the spa and guarded the room while the ladies had their massages, simply because it made Tony feel better. He knew how relaxing the massages could be and he refused to take a chance with not only Pepper’s safety but Tamara’s as well. Even after living with the team for over a year, she didn't relax when she was outside the tower unless another team member was with her.

Tony and Bruce were almost ready when Clint and Steve returned. Steve informed him that Pepper had arranged for a stylist to join them at the spa and they would be going directly to dinner from the spa. The guys arrived at the steakhouse first and they were shown to a private room by the manager. It was only a few minutes later when the ladies arrived. Tasha and Maria Hill got to the table first and stepped aside so everyone could see Tamara’s new look. Her hair had been trimmed into a shorter cut but it was still full and hung loosely around her shoulders. She was wearing the new ankle boots with a loose black skirt that fell above the knee and a deep burgundy silk blouse. She blushed from the compliments she received but didn't say anything as the waiter pulled out a chair for her to take a seat.

The team had decided long ago that work was not to be discussed when they were out in public so dinners out were rare. As Tamara ate, she listened to the chatter around the table. Clint and Tasha were discussing weapons while at the same time arguing with Tony over security around the tower. Pepper was chatting with Maria while Steve and Bruce discussed movies. Tonight, Tamara didn't feel like she really had anything to contribute so she just ate quietly as she listened to everyone else.

After dinner they returned home and Tamara went to bed. She dreamed again that night and woke up in a cold sweat, memories overwhelming her for several seconds. When she finally calmed down, she realized that JARVIS had been speaking to her since she woke up. She didn't fully remember the dream but she remembered enough to drive any thoughts of sleep from her mind. Giving up on sleep, she dressed in shorts and a sports bra and made her way down to the gym level.

As she warmed up on the mats, she let her mind wander back to her dream. “JARVIS, when you tried to wake me, did I say anything?”

“You were begging someone named Heather to open their eyes.”

Toi mewled softly and head-butted Tamara as she slumped against the wall in surprise. Tamara couldn't stop the flood of memories or the tears that followed them. She buried her head against Toi and cried, never noticing the door opening behind her but she noticed when she was pulled against a warm body. For once, she didn’t try to fight the tears back, she just let them flow until she could cry no more, then she drifted back off to sleep. Bruce looked down at her tear-streaked face, then picked her up gently to avoid waking her. Making his way to the elevator, he went to the media room and settled onto one of the chaise lounges. He kept Tamara pulled close and draped a blanket over her, then turned his attention to the TV where JARVIS had started one of the movies he enjoyed.

Tamara didn't wake again until breakfast. As she was waking up, she shifted against Bruce’s side, confused by the warmth she felt. The smell of food woke her up fully and the weight of a hand against her back calmed her down. She looked up into Bruce’s concerned face and gave him a small smile in thanks, then stretched and headed for the smell of food. Bruce didn't say anything to her about why she was in the media room and she never remembered leaving her room the night before.

The weather was turning colder so Tamara stayed inside, going to the gym to work out. She spent most of the day in the gym, only leaving for lunch until it was time for supper. The rest of the week, she continued the same pattern of nightmares about losing her family. After the second night, someone was always up to watch a movie with her and she would eventually drift off to sleep in the media room. When she woke, she would grab breakfast and then spend the rest of the day until supper in the gym, working out as she tried to forget about her pain and loneliness.

As Thanksgiving drew closer, Tamara started spending more time out of the gym and in the kitchen. Tony typically had dinner catered in for the team but Tamara insisted she is allowed to cook as well. When the pain of missing her family grew to be too much, and she was too exhausted to continue exercising, she would head to the kitchen and bake. She made cakes and cookies and pies and sat them out where everyone could enjoy them. Sometimes, she'd take the goodies she'd baked down to the guards on duty at the front desk or other employees she had met that worked in the tower.

Occasionally, she became withdrawn and refused to leave her room. JARVIS would monitor her but everyone respected her desire to be alone. But when the memories overwhelmed her, she would curl up and cry herself to sleep, only to wake later propped against a warm body as one of the others tried to comfort her. Clint knew what it was like to be close to someone and lose them suddenly and he frequently joined her but he never said a word. Sometimes Steve would join her and they'd share stories of their families and the people they missed.

The first week of December found her in the garage watching as Happy loaded the limo. Pepper and Tony were off to Malibu and would spend most of the month there, handling year-end meetings at the West Coast branches of SI. They had invited Tamara to go along but she chose to wait until the others headed out for Christmas. She'd accompanied Pepper to board meetings and probably hated them as much as Tony. Tony was leaving the bots to take care of the tower and Tamara promised to visit them every day until Tony returned.


	10. Chapter 10

Several hours later, JARVIS informed everyone that Tony and Pepper had arrived safely in Malibu. Pepper and Tamara spoke for several minutes before Tamara headed back to the gym. She joined everyone for supper and then a movie afterward. When she finally retired to her room, it wasn’t long before she was asleep. This time she managed to sleep through the night. The next week was slow and she alternated between joining Bruce in the labs or the others at the SHIELD base as they trained new recruits. At night, she was finally getting some relief from her dreams. 

Several days after Tony and Pepper went to Malibu, Thor had to go back to Asgard to help quell uprisings throughout the nine realms. He promised that Heimdall would watch over them for him and alert him to any problems that arose but he had a duty to Asgard. A week after Thor left, Clint was sent on a mission but they were assured he would return in time for Christmas. The week before Christmas Tasha and Steve were transferred to Washington to work from the Triskelion and Tamara was left alone in the tower with only Bruce, JARVIS and the bots for company. 

It was only a couple of days after Tasha and Steve went to Washington that news of the Mandarin broke out on TV. It was late in the afternoon when JARVIS informed the Bruce and Tamara that Happy had been injured and they saw the footage of Tony challenging the Mandarin. Hours later, JARVIS interrupted their movie to show them footage of the attack on the Malibu mansion. Tamara cried as she watched the destruction, concerned over the safety of her makeshift family. It was a relief when JARVIS was able to inform them of Pepper’s survival and Tony’s escape. 

The next morning, the news was full of reports stating that Tony was believed dead and Pepper was nowhere to be found. When Bruce saw the headlines, he sent a message off to the rest of the team. Tasha and Steve were on an op and on radio silence but he knew JARVIS would make sure they were notified. As for Thor, he had no way to contact him other than yelling at the sky. He had no idea of the turmoil going on in Asgard and the others realms at the time. Before he could call Clint, JARVIS informed him that Clint was calling. The call was patched through as Bruce paced on the deck outside.

"What do we know Bruce?"

"Not much. Happy was injured by some kind of bomb, same as this Mandarin guy has used before. Tony threatened him and gave out his address. Some time later, choppers opened fire on the Malibu mansion. Pepper got out along with some other woman but Tony ended up in the ocean. JARVIS said that Tony had a flight plan for Rose Hill, Tennessee created shortly before the attack but he has lost communications with the suit. And now Pepper is missing as well."

"I'm done here, should I go look for him?"

"I think it might be better if you come back here. You can protect Tamara better than I can."

"Right, I'm headed out now. Go on lock-down until I get back."

"Actually, JARVIS put us on lock-down yesterday when the attack happened in Malibu."

“Tell Tam I'm on my way home then.”

Bruce went back inside to join Tamara for breakfast. “Clint’s done with his assignment, he’s headed home.”

“That’s good, I was wondering if I could talk you into going to the park with me so I could go for a run.”

“ JARVIS put us on lock-down when the mansion was attacked yesterday. We need to stay on the restricted floors until we hear from Tony.”

Tamara sighed. “Tony's hurting Bruce, not bad, but he didn't get away without injury." She held out her wrist where a faint glow emanated from her bracelets. "I had the dream again last night, that makes seven times for sure. I think everything is starting now, the things Nadia warned us about.”

“Then you definitely need to stay in the tower.”

“Care to join me for tai chi while we wait for Clint? Unless you have something going on in the labs?”

“Nothing pressing, let me change and I'll join you in the gym.”

Tamara returned to her room and changed into shorts and a sports bra before heading for the gym. When she reached the gym, she pulled out a mat and began to start her tai chi, knowing Bruce would join her when he arrived. As she stretched and went through the positions, JARVIS provided soft music in the background as Toi lay stretched out on the floor watching her. After a few minutes, Bruce joined her and they went through the routine quietly until they were done. 

Tamara felt calmer and more relaxed than she had when she started and she rolled her mat up before heading for the gymnastics equipment. Bruce took a seat and watched her as she worked through her stretching exercises and began a routine. Halfway through the routine, the door opened and Clint walked in to join Bruce as he watched. When Tamara finished her routine, she rejoined the two men and gave Clint a quick hug before heading for the shower.

Clint and Bruce headed back up to the main floor without waiting for Tamara. Once there, they began to discuss options after trying to reach the rest of the team again. 

“JARVIS, what do we know about the bomb?”

“The data has been transferred to the lab. Tony was going to Rose Hill to investigate another possible bombing location.”

“I'll take a look at that, see what he’s dealing with. You keep Tamara occupied, we don't need her trying to go find them. She said Tony's hurt, but contrary to news reports, he is alive. JARVIS can keep trying to notify the others about Tony and Pepper.”

Bruce headed for the elevator to go down to the labs and met Tamara as she stepped off. She was nibbling at her lower lip like she did when she was thinking but she nodded at him as he walked by. As the elevator door closed, Bruce saw her walk towards the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

Tamara fixed a snack in the kitchen, then went looking for Clint, finally finding him in the media room. “I don’t know when you last ate but I needed a snack.”

“Thanks, I skipped breakfast to get back quicker.”

They ate in silence but Clint could see that she was restless. “You wanna get out of here for a bit?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, JARVIS can notify the guards so we have the backup. Anywhere you'd like to go?”

“I haven't seen Brian and Lizzie since the party. Can we go see them at the theater?”

“Sure, but wear one of the suits.JARVIS has several in your size. That means long sleeves and long pants but at least it’s winter. Boots as well, I want you ready to run if I say so.”

“No problem, what about weapons?”

“Your usual, I'll supply anything else you need, Tash has some things you can borrow. Go change and I'll be ready after I've had a shower. That will give the security team time to check out the theater and get in place but we'll take a pair with us.”

Clint headed back to his floor to shower and change while Tamara took the elevator down to the armory. Inside the armory, she pulled out one of the suits Tony had designed and stripped. After pulling it on, she pulled her khaki’s back on but left her shirt off. Opening her locker, she pulled out her belt, then added the throwing stars that Tony had made for her. She clipped the pouches to the belt but concealed them inside the waistband of her pants. One of Remy’s collapsible bo staffs slid into a pocket on her upper right thigh. A matching pocket on the upper left thigh held a short staff that was modeled after the sonic sticks designed by a pair of SHIELD scientists. JARVIS had seen the designs in SHIELD files and Tony had modified them to be more compact, unfortunately, that also meant they had a smaller effective range. After pulling on a pair of her boots, she grabbed another couple suits and took them up to her room.

“J, is Clint ready to leave?”

“Almost, might I remind you of the satchel that Loki left for you.”

“Thanks, any more word on Tony or Pepper?”

“The Mark 42 is repaired but not fully functional. Pepper’s tracking device is off-line and Tony’s was damaged in the attack yesterday. The security team has reached the theater and begun their sweep.”

Tamara pulled a long sleeve shirt over the skin suit. “Suit test J.”

“All sensors are active. Clint is on his way down to meet you, he requests you remove all jewelry other than your bracelets. The security team is waiting in the lower garage. Bruce asks that you stop by the lab before leaving the tower.”

Tamara removed her jewelry, then waited for the elevator as Toi joined her. When the doors opened, Clint was waiting inside. He held a small box that opened to reveal a jewelry set. He removed the necklace first and she turned to allow him to fasten it around her neck. “The necklace can be used as a garrote, the watch conceals a modified taser. Be careful with the earrings, don't press on the stones, they contain a neurotoxin strong enough to incapacitate an adult. All this is disposable so if you have to use it, just leave it.”

JARVIS stopped the elevator briefly at Thor and Loki’s floor and Tamara went to Loki’s room. She saw the wards he had placed glow brighter as she stepped through. Once in his bedroom, she easily found the small satchel lying on his bed. She didn't bother to open it as she returned to the elevator. The elevator stopped again at the lab where Bruce waited for them.

“We haven't finished this but I don't want you going anywhere without Toi.” He held up a thin harness and showed it to Tamara. “Tony was trying to create something that would conceal her from most people. As long as no one bumps into her, it works, unfortunately, we only have the one that fits her when she looks like a house cat. He wanted to iron out the problems before making a full-scale harness. JARVIS can track the harness and you should be able to tell where she is, but we sent her out around the tower with this one on and nobody ever noticed her. Well, one researcher noticed her but only because he’s allergic to cats, he started sneezing when she was around. Also, it has a short battery life, just under 30 minutes, so don't use it unless you really need it.” He showed her a thick spot between the shoulder blades. “Squeeze it here to activate the device.” He pulled out a flat disk resembling a drink coaster. “If you need to conceal her, ask her to lie down and press the first button. It will record her and create a video loop, then press the second button right before you activate the harness. The disk will play a hologram of her sleeping so hopefully, nobody notices her disappear right away; we haven't really tried them together yet. Please be careful, we don't want to lose you.”

Tamara gave Bruce a quick hug. “I’ll stay with Clint, I promise.”

Clint and Tamara returned to the elevator with Toi and both were quiet on the ride down. Tamara’s bracelets were glowing slightly and she finally tugged a pair of gloves over them to conceal the glow. The elevator stopped at the lower garage and they stepped out to find a pair of Tony’s private security staff waiting for them. Clint nodded to both as the woman opened the back door to a nondescript blue sedan.

“Mr.Barton, Miss Crisco, a team has secured the theater, we have doubled the usual security. A decoy team is going to the gun show as Tamara had originally intended. David and I will be your personal guards.”

Tamara smiled at the woman before taking a seat in the back of the car, “Thanks, Lillian, who else is there?”

Lillian closed the car door behind her and took her place in the front, “Rose, Renee, and Deborah are already at the theater; one of us will remain with you at all times. JARVIS notified us of the attack last night, we are on 12 hours shifts. Miss Potts's usual team is on night duty but we are all staying in the tower, we are currently on level 2 alert status.”

As the other security member started the car, Lillian handed comms back to Tamara and Clint. Both took one and pressed it to the skin behind the ear where it was hidden by their hair. 

“Comms are active, I am tracking all members of the security detail. The current pass phrases are “does it look like snow” and the reply from security must be “calliope”. Remember Tamara, if you do not hear the designated reply, you are to immediately flee. I shall notify everyone when the response phrase is to be changed.”

Tamara looked over at Clint as the sedan exited the garage. She could see that both the security agents were monitoring the traffic around them so she kept her voice down when she spoke to Clint. “Are you sure it’s safe for us to go out? I mean, this does seem like a bit much.”

“You already had plans to go out before this so if someone was watching you, they’d pay more attention if your plans changed. Trust me, we’re fine and you can’t stay on lock down for long. JARVIS will keep us posted on Bruce’s research and the search for Pepper. He’s still trying to reach Steve and Tasha as well to keep them in the loop. You've been seen with Pepper and Tony both a lot in the past year. There’s even been speculation that you are secretly Tony’s love child from a one-night stand but he’s tried to squash those stories quickly. People have noticed the resemblance and that makes you a target.”

“Tamara, Mister Parker just contacted me. He wished to confirm you were safe.”

“You can keep him updated J, let him know where we're going and if Remy or the others ask, let them know as well. Lillian, if a Peter Parker from the Bugle asks to see me, give us some space.”

The sedan pulled into the theater employee parking and Tamara and Clint pulled the hoods of their coats up before the four exited the car. Tamara noticed a small group of people huddled outside under a shelter smoking and she smiled when she saw Brian standing at the edge of the space. The four of them hurried over, looking like no more than additional employees arriving for work. Once inside, Tamara and Clint were escorted to the green room by Brian where Lizzie waited with more of the security personnel.

Lizzie and Brian both wrapped her in hugs as Clint stood back and watched. “Are you OK, we saw the news.”

“I’m fine, I just needed to get out.”

“We’re sorry to hear about Mr. Stark.” Brian handed her a newspaper that read **TONY STARK PRESUMED DEAD AFTER MANDARIN ATTACK**. 

Tamara showed Clint the paper and gave him a questioning look. He nodded and she turned back to Brian and Lizzie. “Don't say anything but the paper’s wrong. I can’t explain how I know but he’s not dead. Promise not to tell anyone; right now the number of people who know is very small, outside of the Avengers.”

Both were a bit stunned by her statement but they stammered out a promise not to reveal the information to anyone. 

“We were supposed to fly out to Malibu this afternoon but with the mansion gone, there goes Christmas. Everybody’s gone and I just…”

“She didn't want to be alone or cooped up in the tower.”

“Yes, thank you, Clint. So, I saw you’re starting a run of The Birdcage after New Year’s.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome to join us whenever you get bored.”

There was a knock at the door and Clint peeked outside, then motioned for the person outside to come in. Tamara wasn't surprised to see Peter enter the room. Brian looked a bit surprised when Peter wrapped her in a hug and whispered to her but Lizzie just pushed him towards the door. “We’ll give you some privacy.”

“It’s fine, Pete’s just a friend. I’m going to have someone drop your Christmas gifts by the salon later today. Pete, care to join us for a bit? We can talk while we eat.”

Tamara took Peter’s arm and walked towards the stage doors with him as Clint and the security followed. Brian and Lizzie walked with her as far as the stage before giving her another quick hug and going back to work.


	12. Chapter 12

Peter walked outside with Tamara and Clint, then joined them in the sedan; no one spoke as they rode back to the tower. Once the car was safely inside the secondary garage, Lillian and Brian stood guard as Tamara and Clint boarded the private elevator along with Peter. JARVIS took them directly to the lab where Bruce was going over the data on the bombings. 

“I have an incoming coded transmission on the Stark secure servers.”

“Pepper’s gone; I'm going to find her and I’m going to stop this guy. Everyone stay put, for now, that means you too Tamara. I know by now you know I'm hurt but it’s fine, just bumps and bruises. Barton, keep her safe; JARVIS has a device for you that will start any vehicle I own, anywhere; use it if you need to run. Bruce, you’re safer in the tower, if you have to leave, JARVIS has a list for you. Trust me.”

When the message finished, Tamara turned and went not to the elevator but to the stairs. Everyone watched her go but none of the men made a move to stop her. Tamara took the stairs up to the main floor slowly as she tried to focus on her family. She was a bit surprised when she felt a hand drop on her shoulder in silent support but she just leaned against Jake, knowing he would understand. They'd talked quite a bit since Halloween about her empathy and healing and sometimes she felt he was the only one who really understood how she felt. Wordlessly, she led him into the kitchen and started fixing sandwiches for the others but she only took a glass of water.

Once the sandwiches were finished, she piled them onto a tray but Jake picked it up before she could. He handed her a small bag and another bottle of water and gave her a gentle push towards Toi. Jake picked the tray up and left in the elevator to return to the lab as Tamara returned to her own floor. 

Tamara went to a room that only Jake had entered beside herself and closed the door behind her after hanging a thin piece of rope from the handle. Inside this room, she had absolutely no monitoring of any kind but she knew JARVIS would take note of what time she closed the door and would send Jake to find her if she stayed inside too long. The walls were bare of all decoration beyond a soft soothing teal color while a small waterfall in one corner provided a gentle melody of white noise. The floor was bare as well but Tamara pulled out a blanket and spread it on the floor. She slowly began to strip, removing anything that limited her movement and finally replacing her clothes with a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Tamara pulled out a glass bowl and a small crate full of bags and bunches of dried herbs. She lit lava rock in the glass bowl, then sprinkled several different herbs on the smoldering rocks before settling herself down to meditate and calm her inner turmoil.

She focused on relaxing her muscles and picturing the stress flowing away as she did so and Jake was right, it did make her feel better. Once she was relaxed, she tried to work on another exercise with which she'd had limited success, separating the feelings she had for each person in her family. It was easy to pick out Bruce and Hulk, Hulk was the deep comforting brown and dark greens of a forest that almost seemed to hum while Bruce was the soothing blue of a summer sky or a shallow river. The deep, dark jewel tones she associated with Loki and the bright cheerful yellows and golds of Thor were hard to separate from each other.

Focusing more, she tried to pick out her feelings about the rest of the team. Clint was the bright blues and purples of colorful birds. Tasha was almost always fire engine red but lately, she'd felt more relaxed around her and the red was softer and more comforting. She thought of Pepper in terms of burgundy and terra cotta, classic colors that felt warm and comforting. Tony was always the vibrant blues and whites of a hot flame, so beautiful to look at but potentially so deadly. Finally, she tried to focus on Steve and she wasn't surprised to see the color she most associated with him was a deep dark blue. She knew deep dark blues were often used as uniform shirts because the subconscious mind associated those shades with authority. 

Once she had separated her feelings for each person, she began to concentrate on what she was feeling. She had never tried to consciously feel the other people but now she wanted to try. She knew that proximity made a difference when she was just picking up the emotions so it stood to reason that proximity would matter now. With that thought in mind, she tried to reach out towards Bruce and Clint and reassure them. She focused on the knowledge that Tony would find Pepper and he would protect her and she waited for the feelings that knowledge brought her, then she tried to consciously push the feelings towards Bruce and Clint.

When a headache began to develop from the effort she stopped trying. Frustrated, she tried to recapture the calm she had found when she focused on the rest of the team but she failed. After several minutes of trying to relax again, she finally gave up and picked up her harmonica. She played until she grew tired, letting all the fear and anger and frustration that she felt come out in her music. When she was done, she cleaned the harmonica and put it into the pocket of her shorts. She gathered her clothes and the skin suit and tossed everything into a bag before putting away the herbs and the blanket. When she stepped out of the room, she felt lighter emotionally than she had previously and she was surprised to see that almost 3 hours had passed. 

Toi padded softly beside her as she returned to her room where she gathered a change of clothes for the next day and checked her bag. Everyone had an emergency bag of supplies they might need that included a change of clothes. Tamara’s bag was mostly medical supplies and sweets in case she had to use her healing gift but she noted her clothing was still thin summer wear so she changed them for warmer clothes suitable for winter. She left the bag sitting on the table as she washed her face, then grabbed it and tossed it in a corner of the private elevator. 

JARVIS took her to the main floor and she could hear voices over the clink of metal. When she walked into the kitchen, the talk slowed as Clint turned to watch her but it didn’t stop, nor did the knives as Bruce sliced vegetables for a salad. Peter was gone and Jake stood at the stove browning fish in a pan. They didn’t bother with the dining room tonight, just stools at the counter as the four people ate a quiet meal. Jake returned to his floor but Tamara made herself comfortable in the media room on the loveseat she usually shared with Steve. They were avoiding the news by watching “Highlander” until JARVIS interrupted.

“We have traced the broadcast signal to Miami Florida. The Mark 42 is currently charging and is expected to be ready when he reaches Miami.”

“Does he want us to join him?”

“Negative, the individuals he is tracking are enhanced and able to heat their bodies to temperatures in excess of 3000°. He will have a suit to protect him and a backup plan is in progress.”

“Any word from Pepper?”

“She was last seen with Maya Hansen but they are no longer in the motel. Miss Hansen was affiliated with Advanced Idea Mechanics.”

“AIM? They did the War Machine re-brand and hold a bunch of military contracts.”

“Indeed Agent Barton. It also appears that they were working on genetic engineering in an effort to restore amputated limbs.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Miss Hansen’s research indicates she believed that every life form has the potential to regrow portions that are removed.”

“What, like lizards and starfish?”

“Not exactly, her studies involved the plant kingdom and how plants grow to replace parts which are missing. She was attempting to find the key to this process in plant DNA and see if it could be copied to animal DNA.”

“That doesn't sound good.”

“Tony found videos of human testing but the solution is not stable. These were not bombings, they were people who became unstable. The program was titled “Extremis”.

“I’m going to try to sleep guys, JARVIS, lights down please.”


	13. Chapter 13

Clint and Bruce left Tamara in the media room to sleep while they returned to the kitchen to chat with JARVIS. JARVIS informed them when Tony was captured and when they wanted to go after him, JARVIS refused to lift the lockdown. Tamara continued to sleep as Bruce and Clint went over the data JARVIS has collected. Finally, JARVIS informed them that Colonel Rhodes had joined Tony at the Mandarin’s hideout.

Tamara awoke shortly after that and joined them for breakfast, then went downstairs to the gym. Bruce stayed in the labs going over the data on Extremis while Clint joined Tamara. Since they were on lockdown, Tamara couldn't go out for her usual run so instead she sparred with Clint. After sparring, she went swimming with Toi while Clint went to the range. 

Being locked in the tower wreaked havoc on her routine and she was too stressed to sleep properly so even though it was night, she was wide awake and wound up. As she swam, she couldn't help but worry about Pepper and Tony and the others. What if things went wrong, she wasn't around to help them if they needed it. Who would take care of them if they got hurt, who else could they trust that much?

Up on the range, Clint was worried about Tasha and Steve. The last time he'd been on a SHIELD base, something felt off to him but he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. He'd warned Tasha but she didn't see the patterns and things he did. When he was collecting arrows after a round, JARVIS interrupted to inform him that Tony had found Pepper and gone with Rhodey to save her and the President. 

“Any visuals?”

“Bruce is watching in the conference room, might I recommend not telling Tamara until this is resolved?”

“Yeah, distract her if you need to. See if you can find out where Steve and Nat are, reassure her they’re fine.”

Clint joined Bruce in the conference room and they watched as the fight unfolded in Miami. When the army of suits arrived, both men were surprised at the number of suits Tony had created and they realized he hadn’t been dealing with the aftermath of the Chitauri incident very well. It was a huge relief when JARVIS informed them that both Pepper and Tony had survived.

“Bruce, Tony has sent you a private message to the terminal in your lab.”

Bruce sent Clint a quizzical look, both wondering what was so secret that Bruce couldn't share it. Down in the labs, Bruce logged into their secure system and read the message from Tony, understanding why he didn't want it shared until after the fact. 

“JARVIS, Tony says you can make flight arrangements?”

“I have a jet waiting to take you to a nearby facility, from there a helicopter will be waiting.”

“Contact the Professor, see if he can recommend someone to help us out.”

A few minutes later, JARVIS contacted Bruce as he was packing in his room. “Dr. McCoy will be joining you with a medical team. He is willing to assist in any way possible and to stay for as long as necessary. They will meet you at the facility.”

“Thank you JARVIS. Can you ask Tamara to join us upstairs? They need to know I will be unavailable.”

When Bruce got upstairs, he found Clint waiting with Tamara as he filled her in on the attack and the outcome. Bruce wasted no time getting to the point once they noticed his bag. “Tony’s decided to have the arc reactor removed. It’s become too much of a liability for him. I’m going to meet Dr. McCoy and a medical team who will handle the procedure. While Tony is recovering, Hank and I will be helping him get Pepper stabilized from the Extremis solution if we can't reverse the process.”

“I want to go, to help.”

“I’m sorry Tam, but Tony specifically said you needed to stay here. Right now things are too dangerous, Pepper is unstable and he doesn't want to risk anyone he doesn't have to.”

“But you and Hank are going.”

“Hulk is probably the only one who could survive if things go wrong. Hank and his team will be nearby but not actually close to us. You need to trust him, he said he needs you to be safe in case things go wrong.”

“But why?”

“Tamara, I am not authorized to release this information, however, under the circumstances, I feel it is necessary so that you may understand. In the event that something happens to both Tony and Pepper, you are currently named to replace them at Stark Industries. The rest of the Avengers and a select number of other people are listed as advisers but the future of the company rests with you. Tony had multiple companies do a genealogy comparison and a DNA analysis, you are his closest relative. The documents confirming you are related are with a local attorney he hired.”

“I don't want to run SI, I want to be with them.”

“And he wants to be sure the company will continue to function as he wishes, he trusts you to honor those wishes. He trusts you to protect the bots and me.”

Tamara knew any argument she might have would be defeated. “OK, I’ll stay here. But can I at least keep in touch with them?”

“I’m sure they would both like that. Bruce, the jet is waiting for you.”

Tamara gave Bruce a hug, “Be careful.”

Bruce didn't have to say anything as he released her. He could see that Clint was tense and he acknowledged it with a small nod. Clint nodded back, but both men knew that whatever happened now, Clint was the only one who could protect Tamara.

Bruce took the elevator to the roof where a helicopter picked him up. A short time later, he was at an airfield boarding a small jet headed for Montana.

Now that it was just her and Clint, Tamara was more worried about the others than she had been before. But at least with the fake Mandarin captured and the real terrorist dead, JARVIS had lowered the threat level for the tower. The 24-hour guards were back to just extra security when she went out but Clint wasn't letting her leave the tower without him. Trusting in Nadia’s visions, she reluctantly agreed. Christmas was over and the days crept towards New Years without anything new from the others. Winter had really set in and the ground was covered in a blanket of snow. With the bad weather, she couldn't go outside and run so she was reduced to running stairs in the tower or running around the gym level. Most days, she'd spar with Clint but sometimes Peter stopped by and she was able to spar with him. Clint would watch the two of them and offer advice and training tips.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter uses dialogue from Thor : The Dark World**

On Asgard, Thor had been busy throughout the Nine Realms, leading the warriors of Asgard in quelling the uprisings that existed after the Tesseract was revealed. Odin tried to convince Thor to settle down and wed but he deflected every suggestion. Every night before retiring, he would visit Heimdall in the Bifrost Tower to inquire about Jane Foster and her studies. He felt guilty for destroying the Bifrost but he had learned that he could not allow Loki to use its power to decimate an entire realm. Learning that Loki was truly a Frost Giant had been a blow to him as well. He had always believed everything Odin told him was the truth but after growing up with Loki, he could no longer view the Frost Giants as monsters. To do so would be to call the one he considered his brother a monster as well.

After spending time with the Avengers and Jane, Thor no longer found the feasting that followed a battle as enjoyable. He still went to the feasts; he had to eat after all, and it was his duty as the Crown Prince to be seen by the people. When they saw him relaxed and enjoying himself, it reassured them that the battle was a success, even if they had suffered a personal loss. One thing Thor had taken to doing after battles surprised Odin but not Frigga. Any warrior that was lost or wounded, Thor would visit the family personally and speak with them. Steve had told him of how officers in the military would deliver the news of a death and the comfort it brought to families to hear it in person. He also made sure to visit the wounded warriors and he arranged for advisers to help them adjust to any changes necessary in their lives. 

As for the families of those killed, he had learned about programs to help those raising children alone while on Midgard. He approved of the programs as a whole but also realized the programs were not sustainable. Sometimes children were left orphaned and those he made sure were either placed with loving families or if old enough, he arranged for an apprenticeship fee to be paid so the child could learn a trade. As for the single parents, he made sure they had a way to support themselves, even if it meant creating new jobs. The wars led to many of the able-bodied adults leaving Asgard to fight and that in itself created new jobs. Older people were enlisted to run creches so that children had proper supervision. With the need for increased production of weapons and armor, more workers were needed which meant more apprentices. 

Frigga had approved of the changes Thor had made and the way he was taking care of the people. Often when he had a decision to make, he would visit her and Loki for advice, finding that between the two of them they could point out potential flaws in his plans. It pained him to see Loki locked away like a common criminal but they both agreed not to discuss it. Loki was able to use some of his magic within the dungeon but only those which could not be used to fight. In this way, he was able to watch Midgard and he saw what happened with Stark and Miss Potts; informing Thor of these events on his next visit.

Unfortunately, Thor had to journey to Vanaheim to help quell the uprisings there and to help Hogun protect his people. Once that battle was over, he urged Hogan to stay with his people while the others returned to Asgard with him. After yet another victory feast, he made his way to the Bifrost portal to visit Heimdall and see how his beloved Jane fared. Heimdall spoke of the upcoming Convergence and mentioned that Jane studied it, though she was not aware of what she studied. When Heimdall said he could no longer see Jane, Thor grew worried. Only powerful sorcery could block Jane from Heimdall’s sight. Though he wanted to rush off and search for her, he knew it would not be wise to leave without knowing more.

He left Heimdall in the Bifrost chamber with instructions to notify him if Jane reappeared. Meanwhile, he went to speak with Frigga and Loki while he sent a guard to check the location of the Enchantress. He only had a few moments with Frigga before Heimdall sent a message he had located Jane again. Thor rushed to the Bifrost and had Heimdall send him to Jane’s location.

When Thor arrived on Midgard, Jane spotted him and rushed over. He was a bit surprised when she slapped him and scolded him for staying away. Before he could find out what had happened to make her disappear from Heimdall’s sight, she had to go speak with the local police. An officer attempted to arrest her and was thrown back violently by some kind of mist that came from Jane. Thor rushed to her side and when she was threatened by the officer, he took her to Asgard.

In Asgard, he took Jane to the healers to determine what was wrong with her but it was not until Odin came that they knew. Odin explained about the Aether and the dark elves but reassured them that the elves were destroyed. Before going to Midgard, Thor would have trusted anything Odin said, but now he wasn’t so sure. Odin had said his father, Bor, destroyed the Aether, yet here it was; if the Aether had survived, it stood to reason that maybe the dark elves had as well.

Thor took Jane to meet his mother, Frigga, after a walk in the gardens. While they were talking, the sound of alarms rang out through the air. 

“Loki.” Thor left Jane with his mother while he used Mjolnir to fly to the prisons where Loki was being kept.

Inside the prison, Loki had watched as a humanoid changed into a gross parody if itself, then proceeded to break out and turn other prisoners loose. When the creature started to follow the freed prisoners, Loki did what he could to stop it, “You might want to take the stairs to the left”. Loki suppressed a grin when the creature took his suggestion, never knowing those stairs were used as a shortcut by palace guards.

Inside the castle, Frigga grabbed a sword from a passing guard and instructed Jane to follow her. She led Jane to her quarters and hid her before creating an illusion in her place. Jane knew she wasn’t a fighter but it was clear from the way she held a sword that Frigga was, so Jane did as she was told. From her hiding place, she watched as a humanoid creature entered the room; Frigga fought the creature and seemed to be winning until a malformed monster entered the room and grabbed her. The first creature, who had identified itself as Malekith, turned towards the image of Jane and demanded the return of its property but when it reached for her, the illusion vanished.

Malekith demanded Frigga tell him where the Aether was hidden; when she refused, the monster stabbed her. Thor arrived in time to see Frigga stabbed and he struck out at Malekith with lightning, scarring the side of his face before striking him with Mjolnir. Unfortunately, the monster was able to grab Malekith and they fell over the side of the balcony, only to be rescued by one of Malekith’s ships.

Thor turned to see Odin cradling Frigga as she breathed slowly. A sudden flash had Thor raising Mjolnir in surprise, ready to defend his mother, but it was only Loki. Loki knelt beside Frigga and gently touched her hand, causing her body to begin to shimmer with a strange light. Before Loki vanished, he looked at Thor and Thor could see the pain in his eyes.

Odin continued to cradle Frigga as though unaware of what had happened. Thor brushed him away and took Frigga in his arms, carrying her to the healers. He entrusted her to Eir and instructed her to tell no one of the Queen’s survival. That night, Odin led the funeral ritual for the deceased warriors and what everyone believed to be the Queen. Afterward, Odin ordered Jane placed under guard so that they could prevent Malekith from retrieving the Aether.

Thor tried to reason with Odin to let him take Jane away from Asgard but Odin refused. Thor knew Odin was so clouded by rage and grief that he was forgetting a king’s first duty is to protect their people. With that in mind, he approached Heimdall to help him plan how to free Jane from Odin’s guards. Heimdall knew the only way to escape Asgard was with the help of Loki but he cautioned Thor on trusting Loki. Thor also enlisted the help of Sif in freeing Jane from the guards while Fandral and Volstagg would aid in their escape.

Thor freed Loki from the dungeon but warned him not to try any tricks. On the way to meet Sif, Loki changed both his form and Thor’s, trying to goad him into an argument. Loki wasn’t surprised when Jane slapped him or Sif threatened him, not even when Volstagg threatened him. 

Finally they boarded the dark elf ship and Thor attempted to get it started. As Thor fumbled with the controls, Loki couldn’t resist teasing him. “I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing.”

“I said how hard could it be?”

“Well whatever you’re doing brother, I suggest you do it faster.”

“Shut up Loki.”

“ You must have missed something.”

“No, I didn’t. I’m pressing every button on this thing.”

“No don’t hit it. Just press it gently.”

“I am pressing it gently! It’s not working!” Thor continues to press roughly on the buttons until lights begin to flash and the ship starts. “Ha ha!”

As Thor turned the massive ship around he struck several support columns within the palace.

“I think you missed a column.” Loki quipped.

“Shut up!” Thor exclaimed as he maneuvered the ship out of the palace. Thor piloted the ship through the city, drawing the attention of not just the gunnery emplacements but armed skiffs as well.

“Look, why don’t you let me take over? I’m clearly the best pilot.”

“Is that right? Well, out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?”

Thor guides the Dark Elf ship through the city but flies too close to a building, taking off the top. Before Loki can make yet another smart remark, Thor interrupts him, “not a word.”

Loki notices three Asgardian skiffs following them. “Now they’re following us.” As the skiffs open fire on the Dark Elf ship, Loki continues to criticize Thor. “Now they’re firing at us!”

“Yes, thank for the commentary Loki, it’s not at all distracting!”

Thor attempts to guide the ship through a tunnel but slices the head off a huge stone statue of King Bor.

“Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather.” The ship exits the tunnel only to find skiffs waiting for them. “You know, this is wonderful. This is a tremendous idea. Let’s steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the universe and escape in that. Flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us. It’s brilliant, Thor! It’s truly brilliant!”

Thor opens a door in the side of the ship and shoves Loki out who screams as he falls. Thor picks up Jane and jumps out after him, landing in a skiff piloted by Fandral. Fandral teases Loki but Loki ignores him and instead watches as the skiffs follow the Dark Elf ship towards a mountain range to the right.

“You lied to me. I’m impressed.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased. Now do as you promised. Take us to your secret pathway.”

Loki takes the tiller and grins in glee, turning the skiff towards the right which brings them to the attention of another skiff. As the other skiff opens fire, Loki weaves back and forth until Fandral takes a rope and swings down to the other skiff, attacking the guards and taking control. Fandral salutes Thor as Loki lifts the skiff higher to bring it in line with his secret path.

“Loki, are you mad?” Thor exclaims as he looks at the mountain they are speeding towards.

“Possibly” Loki grins as he guides the skiff into the narrow passage. “But if it were easy, everyone would do it.” As they enter the passage, crystals can be seen on the walls. The crystals glow as the skiff speeds by, mimicking the Bifrost as the skiff vanishes.

The skiff reappears on the barren surface of Svartalfheim and bounces before Loki regains control and sends it gliding smoothly across the dark wasteland and destroyed cities. Thor covers the unconscious Jane with a blanket as Loki watches.

“What I could do with the power that flows through those veins.”

“It would consume you.”

“She’s holding up alright. For now.”

“She’s strong in ways you’d never even know.”

“Say goodbye.”

“Not this day.”

“This day, the next, a hundred years, it’s nothing. It’s a heartbeat. You’ll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you.”

“And will that satisfy you?”

“Satisfaction is not in my nature.”

“Surrender is not in mine.”

“The son of Odin…”

“No. Not just of Odin. You think you alone were loved of Mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust.”

“Trust? Was that her last expression? Trust? When you almost let her die?”

“What help were you in your cell?”

“Who put me there? Who put me there!”

“You know damn well. You know damn well who!” Thor yells as he shoves Loki, pushing him back against the side of the skiff. Thor raises his fist to strike Loki but stops when he sees a touch of fear on Loki’s face as if he can’t believe what Thor was about to do. As Thor backs away he says to Loki “She wouldn’t want us to fight.”

Loki is quiet for a moment before he replies, “Well she wouldn’t exactly be shocked.” He smiles softly at Thor as he recalls the many times Frigga scolded them for fighting.

“I wish I could trust you.” Thor turns away from Loki who continues to look at him with a touch of regret. 

“Trust my rage.”

Loki pilots the skiff towards a mountain peak in the distance, listening as Thor lays out his plan to destroy the Aether. Jane wakes as he lands the skiff and the three of them walk towards the edge where they can see the Dark Elf mother ship landing. 

“All right. Are you ready?”

“You know, this plan of yours is going to get us killed?”

“Yes, possibly.”

When Loki holds up his hands for Thor to release the cuffs, Thor hesitates. “You still don’t trust me, brother?”

“Would you?” Thor asks as he unlocks the handcuffs.

“No I wouldn’t.” Loki exclaims as he stabs Thor and flings him down the hill with Jane running behind them. 

“Do you really think I cared about Frigga? About anybody? All I ever wanted was you and Odin, dead at my feet!”

Thor attempts to summon Mjolnir but Loki cuts off his hand, leaving Thor to clutch the stump in pain as Loki grabs Jane. “Malekith! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift!” he yells as he flings Jane to the ground in front of Malekith. “”I ask only one thing return. A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn.”

Malekith shoves Thor with his foot “Look at me.” Thor rolls over with difficulty clutching the remains of his arm. Malekith raises his arm and levitates Jane in the air, then begins to draw the Aether from her. Once the Aether is removed, it hovers in the air between them. 

“Loki! Now!” 

Loki quickly sends a burst of magic towards Thor, revealing him to be whole and uninjured. As Thor sends lightning from Mjolnir into the Aether, Loki leaps over to Jane, shielding her with his own body. The Aether explodes and for a moment, it looks as though the plan worked; but then the shattered pieces of the Aether begin to draw towards Malekith. Once the Aether is whole again, Malekith draws it into himself and prepares to leave in his ship. Thor takes off after him, smashing dark elves who get in the way as he tries to reach Malekith. 

His mutated bodyguard, Kurse, takes a grenade and throws it towards them. When the grenade goes off, it begins to suck in everything around it. Loki quickly pushes Jane out of reach but he is pulled into the air and towards the maelstrom the grenade has created. Luckily Thor sees his predicament and flies over, knocking Loki away from the black hole.

Once Loki is safe, they both stand and look where the Dark Elf ship is preparing to leave. Thor flies towards the ship but is knocked back by the monstrous Kurse and they begin to fight. Thor is sent flying through the air by a blow from Kurse as the Dark Elf ship vanishes. A few dark elves remain and they surround Loki. Loki uses his dagger to fight against them and finally succeeds in killing them all. He looks for Thor and sees him being smashed into the ground as Kurse punches him repeatedly. 

Loki approaches Kurse from behind and stabs him with a dark elf weapon, leaving the end of the blade protruding from his chest. Kurse turns and faces Loki, then grabs him and impales him upon the blade as Thor screams. Kurse flings Loki to the ground and walks towards him, ignoring his own injury, as Loki lies there in pain. 

“See you in Hel, monster.”

Kurse looks down to see Loki has activated the grenade he wears. He tries to pull it off but fails. As the grenade goes off, Kurse is sucked into the black hole and destroyed. Thor rushes to Loki and cradles him in his arm as Loki shudders in pain.

“No, no, no…Oh, you fool, you didn’t listen.”

“I know… I’m a fool, I’m a fool.”

“Stay with me, okay?”

‘I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Shh… It’s okay.”

Loki expression grows calm and he stops shaking. Thor pulls him closer. “It’s all right. I’ll tell Father what you did here today.”

“I didn’t do it for him.” Loki’s skin begins to grow darker as he closes his eyes, leaving unspoken that he did it all for Thor and Frigga.

Thor screams in anguish as he holds the body of his brother; Jane approaches slowly as the planet rages around them. Thor is forced to leave Loki’s body in order to find shelter for him and Jane. As they enter a cave, he is unaware that another being has joined them on the planet.

Bast kneels beside Loki’s cold form and brushes some dirt from his face. “Loki, always hiding who you are.” A simple touch and a faint blue glow covers his body before it levitates. Bast walks back to the portal she had created and Loki’s body follows her.

Still on Svartalfheim, Thor and Jane find refuge in a cave where they stumble across items from Earth. Jane is surprised when her phone rings and as she talks, they use the phone to guide them to another seam between the worlds. Stepping through, they reappear on Earth and go back to Jane’s place.

They quickly discuss the Convergence with Thor explaining what Asgard knows and decide on a plan. Jane thinks that Eric’s devices would stabilize the anomalies and prevent the convergence from occurring. They hurry out to Greenwich to place the devices but as they are placing them, Malekith arrives in his ship.

Thor goes to battle Malekith as Jane and the others finish placing the devices. Dark Elf warriors attack them, and Jane fiddles with a device, causing the elves to vanish. As Malekith and Thor continue to fight, they move between worlds as they encounter portals. Finally, Thor uses one of Eric’s devices as a spear, only for Malekith to catch it in his hand. Jane turns the dials on her device and Malekith’s arm disappears. Thor throws another pole and it stabs Malekith through the opposite shoulder and rips off his arm. 

Malekith taunts Thor and creates new arms using the power of the Aether. Thor uses Mjolnir to drive the pole deeper into Malekith’s body and send him flying backward into his ship. Jane turns the dials on her device and Malekith vanishes, only to reappear on Svartalfheim. The Dark Elf ship begins to fall towards Thor who lies unconscious on the ground but before it can land, Eric uses the device to make another portal, sending the ship back to Svartalfheim, where it crashes to the ground atop Malekith.

After the battle is won, Jane and her friends return to her home while Thor returns to Asgard. On Asgard, Thor approaches the throne and speaks to Odin, telling him that he is not ready to be King but that he will defend all the realms. He also tells Odin that Loki died with honor, never knowing that Bast had retrieved him. Thor returns to Earth to retrieve Jane so that he may spend time with her, never knowing of the trouble that was waiting for his friends among the Avengers.


	15. Chapter 15

In the realm known as Duat, Bast is surrounded by cats as she watches a healer work on Loki’s body. Unknown to Thor, Loki was not dead. He had only slipped into the healing sleep of the Jotun. Finally, the healer finishes cleaning the wound and repairing the damage to Loki’s body. 

“Milady, the wound is repaired but I know not how else to help him heal. He needs a healer from his own people.”

Bast shakes her head softly, “No, his people no longer trust him. And the Asgardians believe him dead.”

“He cannot remain here; even now, Thanos searches for his body. He has the power to return him to full life.”

“No, Loki will not remain here, at least not in a form that Thanos would expect. Have the temple prepared for a ritual. I may not be able to heal him but I can hide him from Thanos until he is recovered fully.”

Bast sat with Loki for some time, until it was time to leave him with the mages to prepare him for the ritual. Before going into the temple, Bast used a scrying pool to check on Tamara. Relieved that she appeared to be safe for now, she headed for the temple.

************* 

On Earth, Clint and Tamara were still alone at the tower. Bruce and Tony were making progress with stabilizing the Extremis in Pepper, although it looked like they would not be able to remove it. Steve and Tasha were still working from the Triskelion in Washington DC. When they spoke that night, Steve told Tamara of the vet, Sam, he had met while running while Tasha told Clint that they were headed out for a mission and would be out of radio contact until they returned.

************* 

On Duat, Bast joined her priestesses in the temple where Loki’s body was laid out. Cats from all over Duat came, called by the power of the magic that Bast intended to use that night. As Bast gathered the power to herself, she realized that she still did not have enough magic for the transformation. Reaching out across the realms, she sent a message to felines everywhere. “I ask for volunteers to give their life force to save another. He will be needed in the future but for now, he must be hidden. Any who choose to make the sacrifice will join me in the temple as honored guests until you desire to return to life.”

And across the realms, cats offered up their lives at her request. Cats in shelters, knowing they would never leave, gave themselves to her. Abandoned cats with no hope of a family, gave themselves as well. And across the realms, some cats who had long loving lives with a family, also offered themselves, knowing their family would offer another lost soul a home. As the cats offered the little magic that they carried within themselves, they laid down to sleep forever in the mortal worlds and their spirit walked into the temple.

Bast watched as the temple filled with cats, young and old, healthy and infirm. The temple began to glow with the power of the magic that Bast was collecting until it was so bright that only she could see Loki’s form on the altar. Considering the power that was needed for this transformation, the process to change Loki was rather simple. Bast could change his form but some parts of himself had to remain. Bast ran her hands over his body, concentrating on the spell within her mind. A spell this strong was never spoken, for if someone inexperienced was to overhear and attempt it, the results could be disastrous. 

As the light began to fade, Loki’s body began to fade as well and the form of a tiny kitten began to come into view. The more Loki’s body faded, the more solid the kitten became until finally, Loki’s form was gone. Bast picked up the tiny kitten, still so small the eyes were not yet open and cradled it in her hand. The small body was covered in long thick black hair with a few random white hairs scattered over the body. It nuzzled at her hand, then cried softly, searching for something to eat. Bast had not expected Loki to transform into such a young kitten and she knew he would not be able to stay in Duat. She allowed one of the temple cats to take the kitten and watched as it nursed hungrily.

************* 

The Strike team boarded a quinjet in Washington for the trip to the last known location of the Lemurian Star. When the quin reached the Indian Ocean, Steve dove out without a parachute, leaving the rest of the rescue team to follow. As he took out pirates, Tasha was working her way to the engine room and her own secret mission. Finally, the hostages were safe and Steve discovered Tasha’s mission. Steve was furious with Tasha for putting the hostages in danger and they argued but Tasha ignored his complaints, telling him she had her own orders direct from Fury. When they returned to Washington, Steve confronted Director Fury who revealed the Project Insight helicarriers and his plan to protect the world.

Steve left the Triskelion more angry than he had been before. He knew Director Fury meant well with the ships but it still wasn’t right. People should not have to live in fear. He knew that SHIELD would not disclose the purpose of the helicarriers to the public and to him, that made things even worse. What was to stop someone from using the programming to further their own political goals. Frustrated, he made his way to the gym he used and spent time hitting the heavy bag but it did nothing to ease his mind.

Finally giving up, he showered and went home. He spent a restless night and finally decided to visit Peggy the next day. It hurt to see her, so frail and delicate but when she had a memory lapse and forgot the recent past, it broke him. He stayed with her until she fell asleep, then left to find Sam at the V.A. He caught the end of a group counseling session and a part of him wondered if he could give it all up and live a normal life. Deep down, he knew he couldn’t, he didn’t even know what normal was anymore. He spent the afternoon with Sam, talking about things he had missed and just being around someone who was reasonably normal. They stayed at the V.A. most of the time and Sam introduced him to some of the patients and staff. 

When Steve finally headed home, he met his neighbor who told him he had left his radio on. Knowing it had been off when he left, he exited the building and went up the fire escape to his apartment. After easing the window open and climbing inside, he picked up his shield and went towards the soft sounds coming from his living room. He was a little surprised to see Director Fury and even more surprised when he noted his evident injuries. The director revealed to him that SHIELD was compromised and he shouldn’t trust anyone before he was shot by an unknown person.

The door to his apartment burst open to reveal his nurse neighbor who it turned out was really a SHIELD agent planted to watch over him. Steve took off after the assailant but was unable to catch them. He tried to hit the assassin with his shield and was shocked when the killer not only caught it, but sent it back with enough force to knock Steve backwards. When Steve looked again, the assailant had vanished.

Director Fury was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead before a devastated Tasha. Maria Hill took custody of his body, while Steve was ordered back to the Triskelion for questioning about Fury’s death. Steve took the flash drive that the director had given him after he was shot and hid it in a vending machine. He didn’t know who had killed the director but if Fury had wanted that drive hidden, it stood to reason that the information on the flash drive had something to do with his death.

At the Triskelion, Alexander Pierce had questions about Fury and why he was at Steve’s apartment when he was attacked. Steve couldn’t shake the feeling that something wrong was going on but he cooperated, until Pierce seemed to suggest that Steve was involved in Fury’s death. When Steve left Pierce’s office, he was attacked by the Strike team. Fleeing the Triskelion, he tried to recover the flash drive, only to discover that it was gone, taken by Tasha. Tasha told him about a ghost known only as “Winter Soldier” and how the murder of Fury fit the pattern. 

Agreeing to work together, they took the flash drive to the mall to try to read the files. Before inserting the flash drive, Tasha sent a quick message to Clint, one she knew would have him on alert, but she never said a word to Steve about it. It didn’t take long for her to realize she couldn’t decrypt the drive with the available equipment so she settled for tracing the files back to their origin.

*************

Back in New York, Clint and Tamara had spent the day of the carrier assault at the final rehearsal of the play. When Clint had woken that morning, JARVIS had informed him of a message from Tasha; Clint had read the message and changed his plans. He didn’t tell Tamara what was going on but she could tell something had him worried. With that in mind, she decided to forgo a purse and instead she took the satchel Loki had left for her. When they arrived at the theater, she noticed that several of the SI security staff were on hand, scattered around the theater. Clint watched from the control booth, able to see both the seating and backstage although he left the booth several times during rehearsal to prowl around backstage. After rehearsal, Tamara was invited out for dinner with her friends but she declined, Clint’s behavior telling her something was up even if he didn’t.

Back at the tower that night, Clint insisted that neither of them sleep on their own levels, instead opting for guest rooms next to each other on the common floor. Tamara was confused when she couldn’t reach Steve that night, they had spoke for a few minutes every night since he left for D.C. and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. When she awoke the next morning, the runes for Steve and Tasha on her bracelet were glowing softly so she knew both were hurt; now more concerned, she sent off another message to Steve, asking him to contact her and reminding him she would be at the theater that afternoon for opening night.

Tamara spent all morning worrying about Steve and Tasha and she could tell Clint was worried as well. She tried to ask him about it but he refused to talk, instead he spent most of the time on a tablet. She knew he had been in contact with Bruce and Tony but other than that, she had no idea what had him so wrapped up and JARVIS refused to tell her either. Finally, they left to visit the theater and Tamara was surprised at the extra guards she saw mixed among the crew and patrons in the building. Clint still refused to tell her what was wrong, only that she needed to do exactly what he said if anything happened. When he finally admitted that he didn’t know what might happen, she forgave him for not telling her more. As show time approached, she left her friends to join Clint in the seats reserved by SI for the show. 

The first half of the show went off with no problems but Tamara was glad for the intermission. Maybe it was Clint’s alert and restless attitude but she’d been feeling more on edge as the show progressed. When she made her way to the restrooms, she noticed two of SI’s female security followed her and several other guards maintained visual contact with each other in the lobby. After she was done in the restroom, she started to head back to her seat but Linda, one of Pepper’s usual protection detail, bumped into her and slipped her an earwig. Tamara acted like she was playing with her long hair as she slipped the tiny device into her right ear. As she brought her hand back down, she heard another of the security detail talking, identifying armed persons mixed among the patrons of the play. 

Tamara knew she was an easy target for kidnapping, compared to anyone else on the team. As far as the public knew, she was just a kid whose mom had been a friend of Pepper’s and upon her death, Pepper became her guardian. She didn’t see Clint anywhere as she returned to her seat in the darkening theater. Several minutes later, he turned up and she couldn’t help but notice that he was now wearing his jacket. Knowing what to look for, she could tell he has more than one gun hidden on his person. As the lights went down, he slipped her a pair of knives and she slipped them into her boots.

She tried to focus on the show but even Toi was beginning to pick up on the feel of impending doom. As the show neared the end, Clint took her hand and squeezed it quickly several times in a prearranged code that meant “danger”. Over the earwig, she heard a voice commenting on clearing a path from the building for her to get away to safety. Not wanting to risk the public if this was an attempt to kidnap her, Tamara tapped Clint’s leg, then pulled his hand open and began to sign to him, finger spelling in the dark against his palm.

 _“Idea. Trust me”_ Clint nodded but didn’t say anything as he continued to act like he was watching the play while she continued to sign. _“Trade bodyguard clothes. Follow”_. Tamara slipped from her seat and headed for the backstage area, stopping by the restroom again. Once she was sure the restroom was clear of anyone but SI staff, she exchanged shirts and jackets with one of the female bodyguards that was similar in size to her. The guard pulled the hood of the light jacket up and ducked back into the dark theater, taking Tamara’s place. Tamara twisted her hair into a knot and tucked it under a baseball cap, then pulled on a pair of glasses before exiting the restroom. 

As she made her way to the dressing rooms, she noticed Clint trading places with one of the male security and following her. She didn’t wait on Clint, instead she went to find Brian and Lizzie. She’d seen Peter earlier, taking pictures and talking to patrons of the theater and she worried he might try to intervene. When she found Lizzie, tucked into a quiet corner with a cup of coffee, Tamara pulled out her phone and sent Peter a message, hoping he’d listen. _“Something might go down tonight. Please don’t get involved. Trying to resolve without fighting. T”_ It was a relief a few minutes later to get a simple _“K”_ back in response. Now she just had to convince Clint to tell her exactly what was going on.

Tamara ducked into an empty dressing room when she heard voices coming closer. She didn’t recognize them and the talk sounded innocent enough but something just put her _and_ Toi on edge. A few minutes later, she heard the voices stop and talk to Lizzie. Several minutes after the voices passed, Lizzie stepped into the dressing room, followed by someone buried under a stack of costumes.

“I found someone wandering around back here and decided to put him to work.” Clint held the costumes are Lizzie hung them up. “Is something up? I just had a couple guys posing as cops looking for a runaway that fits Tamara’s description.”

Clint closed the door carefully behind them. “You sure they weren’t real cops?”

“I got an uncle on the force. And that means that I know what are real precincts and what aren’t. There is no 53rd precinct, no matter how much you hear it in movies and TV. Are you in trouble?”

“We can’t get you involved.”

“There are fake cops here, we’re already involved. The question is how to get uninvolved without anyone getting hurt.”

“Tam and I need to find a way to sneak out of the theater. We’ve got SI security in our seats now but once the show’s over and the lights come up, it’ll be pretty clear it’s not us there.”

Lizzie nodded, “You two stay put, I’m gonna get Brian.”

Brian entered the dressing room a few minutes later, followed by Lizzie and more of the crew, talking as he handed things off to the others. “We’re going to live up to the movie tonight team. Get everyone changed, add in any crew that can fit a costume. We need extra bodies tonight.” Closing the door behind him, Brian squared his shoulders as he turned to face Clint. “Sneaking Tamara out is easy if she leaves the cat with us. You, on the other hand, will be a bit more difficult.”

Tamara shook her head, “I can’t leave Toi, you gotta swear not to tell anyone about her secret.” A quick _“promise”_ from both Brian and Lizzie and Tamara let Toi down to the floor. To their credit, neither one jumped or screamed when the house cat suddenly became the size of a large dog. “Toi’s not from Earth, she’s from Asgard. There’s a spell on her collar to make her look like a regular cat, she’s kinda like a protection dog.”

Brian shook his head in wonder, then got down to business. “OK, so when she looks like a regular cat, what does she weigh? Can you carry her?”

“It’s part of the magic, when she looks like a regular cat, she weighs about fifteen lbs, why?”

“Then we’ll put you in the school girl outfit, it comes with a small backpack that you can hide her in. It might fit your clothes as well. I think we have something to fit him as well, I can give you shorts to wear under the dress.”

“I am not wearing a dress.”

“C’mon, it’s perfect. Once we put you in a wig and a little makeup, no one will recognize you at all.”

“Fine, but only so we can get Tamara out of here. And not a word to anybody.”

Lizzie left the room and returned carrying a makeup case and other supplies. She handed Tamara an outfit and Clint turned his back as she stripped off her clothes to change into the short skirt and top. 

Lizzie dug through the costume rack and pulled out a dress, holding it out for Clint. It looked like something a grandmother would wear, and when Brian handed her a large floppy hat, he thought it couldn’t get any worse. But when he picked up a bright pink wig, Clint lost it. “Aw hell, no. You want me to wear that?”

“It’s the only way to sneak you both out of here. We’ve only got a couple of minutes before the finale.” Lizzie held the dress out to him and he heard Tamara giggle behind him. 

He turned to see Tamara pulling on a shoulder length white wig that gave her a very exotic look. “Why can’t I wear something like that?”

Tamara sighed in frustration. “Because unlike you, I shaved my legs this morning. Unless you want your hairy man legs to be seen, you gotta hide them and the only costume here that will fit you is the grandma.”

“But I wanna be sexy.”

“Put on the damn dress or you can explain to Tasha why we got caught.”

“Fine”. Clint took the dress and pulled it over his head. “But not the damn pink wig, anything but pink.”

Brian brought over another wig and fixed it in place as Lizzie disguised Clint with stage makeup. When she stepped away and he saw himself in the mirror he started to rip the wig off but Tamara grabbed his arm as final musical number began.

“C’mon, we gotta slip out with the cast.”

Brian led Tamara off to one side of the stage while Lizzie and Clint stayed together. As the cast danced their way out of the small theater, they joined the flow, ignoring Peter as he snapped pictures for the Bugle. Peter noticed the exotic looking school girl and snapped a picture as she joined an old woman. He started to follow them, wanting more pictures but he lost them in the crowd. 

Outside, Clint and Tamara slipped into Brian’s old van where they pulled off the costumes. Clint looked at Tamara who was trying her best not to laugh. “Don’t you ever tell anyone how we got out of there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Orlha for the art at the end


	16. Chapter 16

Tamara woke slowly, cold and confused. _Why is it so cold in here?_ She blinked slowly, trying to force herself to wake up in the dim light. When she realized the surface she was sitting on wasn’t one of the couches from the tower, she began to panic. _Where am I?_ She tried to move and found she couldn’t without pain . Her panic grew as she began to catalog the pain radiating from several points on her body. Something soft pressed against her hand and she relaxed, if Toi was with her then she wasn’t alone. As Toi began to purr softly, Tamara focused on the sound, allowing it to wash over her as the events of the prior night came back slowly.

The theater and armed people. Dressing up with the cast to slip out. JARVIS. The airport. A small plane. Clint cursing. Planes crashing. The shudder as the small plane was pushed to the limit during takeoff. Clint had gone quiet then and Tamara had held Toi in confusion as their world was turned upside down. _Who was shooting at us? Where’s Clint?_

Tamara struggled with her belt as she called out Clint’s name; she was pinned facing the back of the small plane and she grew worried when he didn’t answer. Suddenly the belt relaxed and she was able to move a little but her legs were trapped by the seat and debris. Her dagger had fallen from her belt when they crashed and she was relieved when Toi found it and brought it to her. Changing it into a sword, she used it to pry her seat back enough that she was able to free her legs. When she tried to stand, pain shot through her left leg and she fought back a scream.

Vision blurring from tears she couldn’t hold back, she took several deep breaths before focusing on her priorities. First things first, find Clint and hope he wasn’t hurt too badly; second, get out of the plane and find warmer shelter. She had to try to keep weight off her injured leg as she made her way towards the front of the plane. Cold air blew in from the front of the plane; when she managed to get the small door open she could see the windshield was shattered and glass littered the floor. The cabin was covered with small holes that could have been from gunfire but she pushed those thoughts aside as she reached Clint. He was slumped over the controls and blood was pooling on the floor below him. Desperate to not be alone in this nightmare, she felt his neck for a pulse; it was faint and thready but at least he was alive. 

Toi must have scented the blood because she brought her the pack Loki had left for her. Tamara dug through it and found a healing stone in a small bag with a note that said simply holding it would activate it. She used her dagger to cut her shirt, then placed the stone in Clint’s hand and wrapped his hand tightly to prevent the stone from falling out. Finding a large gash across his thigh, she placed her hands over it and began to hum as she focused her healing energy on the wound. When the bleeding stopped, she pulled bandages from the first aid kit and wrapped the wound tightly, then wrapped another wound on the side of his head. Cleaning either of them up would have to wait. 

As she worked, she was also talking to Toi. “Toi, we need a way to move Clint and I can’t walk very well. See if you can find something we can use to move him.”

A few minutes later, Toi dragged a sleeping bag into the cockpit and dropped it at Tamara’s feet. 

“Good girl, can you drag him? Find me some rope if you can.”

By the time Tamara had Clint down in the sleeping bag, Toi had found a coil of rope. Tamara cut a piece off and set it aside, then used the remainder to bind the sleeping bag around Clint’s unconscious form, leaving a long length that she tied back onto the bag. Toi, now in her war cat form, picked up the rope in her mouth and began to back out of the plane, finally pulling Clint free from the wreckage. She curled around him protectively as she waited for Tamara to exit as well. When Tamara exited the plane, she had Loki’s satchel around her neck. She wrapped a thin blanket around her, wishing she had warmer clothing. Using the last piece of the rope, she tied it to Clint’s bow case, then slipped the rope around her shoulder. The bow case dragged the ground in the falling snow but at least it would help hide their tracks. Scraps from the plane formed a makeshift splint around her knee and a makeshift crutch; it wasn’t comfortable but at least she’d be able to walk now. 

The snow was beginning to fall more heavily and Tamara considered it both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because it would hide the wreckage of the plane and their trail but a curse because she was lost with no idea where to find shelter. She didn’t even know where Clint was taking them, only that they were headed northwest into Canada. She’d simply have to hope that Toi’s animal instincts could lead them to a shelter. Toi sniffed the air around them, then picked the rope back up in her mouth and started walking at a slow pace. Tamara checked the knots on her rope and began to follow, allowing the case to drag behind her and smooth out the snow behind them. 

They hadn’t been walking long when Toi stopped so Tamara decided to check on Clint. He was still unconscious so she put a little snow in his mouth to melt to provide moisture, then grabbed a couple handfuls for herself. She was shivering in the bitter cold and she longed for a warm fire but she knew they had to get further away from the wreckage. After they had rested for a few minutes, Toi picked the rope back up and led them off into the falling snow. They stopped several more times and finally Tamara could walk no more. Toi led them into a small cluster of trees and dropped the rope before digging at the snow to form a den. Tamara checked on Clint before pulling him into the snow Toi had banked up around the small hole. As she curled up next to him, she shivered in the bitter cold and pulled the blanket as tight around her as she could. She could hear Toi, chuffing as she paced around the small copse of trees until finally, the cat seemed satisfied. As Tamara drifted into a restless sleep, Toi joined them in the snow den and snuggled close to keep her warm through the night.

The sun was already well up when Toi awoke before Tamara after hearing noises nearby. Toi shook the snow off that had drifted over them during the night then sniffed the air, chirruping at Tamara as she nudged her. When she didn’t wake right away, Toi leaned over and took one hand in her mouth, then began to apply pressure, tugging at her arm until she woke. Tamara thought she was hallucinating when she heard voices but the change in Toi’s behavior convinced her she wasn’t. Toi grabbed the rope and began to pull Clint towards the voices, glancing back to make sure Tamara was following. Toi stepped out from under the trees and stopped when she saw the small group of people and heard the familiar click of weapons.

“What the hell is that? Ideas Jemma?”

“Some kind of wildcat but I’ve never seen anything like it? An experiment maybe?”

Toi chirruped for Tamara; she could smell these strange people but they didn’t smell like fear like most people. Tamara stumbled out from under the trees and stopped, shocked to see people. Before she could say anything, her injured knee gave out and she crumpled to the ground with a strangled cry. Toi looked at the people, then at Tamara before moving to her side, licking at her hands as Tamara struggled to pull herself upright. Before she could get up, Tamara felt a hand on her arm. She looked up into the face of a young woman while another dark haired woman had a gun aimed at Toi and Tamara noticed the SHIELD logo on their jackets.

“No, she won’t hurt you. Toi, down.” Tamara rested one hand lightly on Toi’s neck.

“What happened to you?” Tamara could feel concern radiating from the woman beside her.

“Our plane was shot down yesterday. You’re with SHIELD?”

An older man stepped forward, “Yes, what do you know about SHIELD?”

“We had to leave the tower; Clint was taking us somewhere safe when someone shot at Tony’s plane but he managed to get us down in one piece.” Tamara motioned to the bundle beside her and the man stepped closer to investigate.

“Jemma”

Jemma moved the sleeping bag and unzipped it exposing Clint. When she started to unwrap his hand, Tamara struggled to get up. “No, leave it, his hand’s not hurt. Thor gave me a healing stone and I wrapped it up in his hand.”

“Who are you? How do you know Clint and Thor?”

“It’s a long story, please, just help him.”

Jemma finished checking Clint over. “Sir, he needs a hospital. I don’t have the equipment here to treat him.”

Tamara was stroking Toi as she listened to them, she knew Clint was bad off but she hadn’t done any further healing because at least one of them needed to be mobile. _‘Toi, can we trust them?’_

_‘scared, fear, worry, anger.’_

_‘If I heal him more, they won’t know what to do for me.’_

_‘sweets, show’_

Tamara made up her mind and she reached out and took Clint’s hand. She slipped the bracelet off her left wrist and onto his, then held his hand and began to hum, focusing her healing energy into him to give him the strength he needed to continue to survive. The glowing bracelets caught everyone’s attention but Tamara ignored them as she worked on healing the worst of Clint’s injuries. When she collapsed with the effort, Toi nudged her, then licked her hand. Tamara’s collapse took everyone by surprise but a slight moan from Clint caught Coulson’s attention..

“Clint, can you hear me?” When he got no answer he tried again, “Agent, report.”

“Extraction successful, asset secure.” Clint mumbled.

Toi nudged at Clint’s wrist where the bracelet still glowed but not as brightly. She looked at Coulson and mewed softly, then nudged Tamara’s arm. When she nudged Clint’s wrist a second time, Coulson figured out she wanted him to replace the bracelet. He removed the bracelet from Clint’s left wrist and replaced it on Tamara’s, noticing her dagger when he did. He reached for the dagger but a large paw quickly dropped over the dagger preventing him from touching it. 

“We need to get them to shelter. It’s not far back to the bus.”

“No, we continue, we’re closer to the coordinates Fury left us. Jemma, is it safe to move him like that?”

“As long as we keep his head off the ground, it should be fine.”

“What about the girl?”

“I honestly have no idea, I don’t know what she did but she appears to be unconscious from it.”

Toi nudged at Tamara’s pocket where she could smell the candy Tamara always kept handy. She bit the pocket, grabbing a fold of cloth and tugged until it ripped. Candy spilled on the ground, along with a small container.

Jemma picked up the container, “Sir, this is glucagon; diabetics use it to treat low blood sugar.”

“Clint’s not diabetic, maybe she is. Is there any chance of harming her if you use it and she’s not diabetic?”

“Not really”

“Use it then, she had to be carrying it for a reason. Until we know who she is, treat her as a friendly but keep a weapon handy just in case. Skye, I’ll want you to see what you can find on her.”

“Is that wise?”

“May, you heard him, he called her an asset, not a target. He was protecting her and I want to know why.”

Toi watched as Jemma injected Tamara with the glucagon, then she walked over and picked up the rope she’d been pulling Clint with. When no one moved, she dropped the rope and walked over to Coulson, then nudged his hand and purred. Coulson couldn’t help but stroke her head as she turned and walked back to pick up the rope again. “Trip, carry the girl; Jemma, stay close to both of them. The rest of us will take turns with Clint if we need to.”

“Sir, I’m picking up Asgardian readings but they’re faint.” Fitz was studying his tablet as he looked around the woods.

“What, like an Asgardian was here?”

“No Sir, the readings are steady.” Fitz moved around as he studied his tablet more, then stopped in front of Toi. “It’s the cat, the readings are coming from it.”

“An Asgardian tiger?”

“It appears so”

“OK, let’s get going; the sooner we get to the coordinates, the sooner we get medical help and answers.” Coulson studied the compass and moved off again towards the east. Toi took one look at Tamara in Trip’s arms, then followed him, pulling Clint behind her. One by one the others followed Coulson deeper into the wilderness and further from the Bus. They walked for just over another mile before Coulson stopped. “This is it, there’s gotta be something here. Stay alert. Eyes open. It’s gotta be here somewhere”

“How long should we look before we think about heading back?”

“We’re not going back. Not until we find whatever Fury has waiting for us.”

“What about the satellite?”

“It doesn’t matter, the Bus used all its remaining fuel just to get us here.”

“Did you know this before flying us out to the middle of nowhere?”

“It was the right play. Fury sent us these coordinates for a reason.”

“And what reason is that?” May was unable to hide the frustration in her voice.

“I don’t know May, I don’t know! There’s gotta be something here.” He waved his badge at them. “This means something, this has to mean something. The world needs us, Hydra is out there. We cannot let them win, we, we cannot let them define us. Do you understand that? We are not agents of nothing, we are agents of SHIELD and that still carries weight. It has to carry weight, after everything we’ve been through, that carries weight!” He looked down at his badge and breathed heavily then got quiet for several seconds. “I’m sorry.” 

Coulson threw his badge in the air and a machine gun popped out of the ground and fired on it. Everybody took cover behind nearby rocks as the machine gun moved as though searching for more targets. Coulson watched the machine gun, then stepped into the clearing. The gun rotated to point at him. “Identify yourself”

“I’m Phil Coulson, agent of SHIELD”

“Welcome Agent Coulson, we’ve been expecting you.”

A portion of the rock face in front of them slid open, revealing a corridor. Coulson led his team inside where they were met by a man in a dark suit who introduced himself as Eric Koenig.

“Where’s medical? I’ve got injured people here.”

Koenig led them down several hallways before stopping in front of a pair of glass doors leading to the medical ward. Trip laid Tamara down on one bed as Clint was moved to another. Toi curled up on the floor where she could watch as Fitz set up the vitals monitoring for both of them. Jemma stripped Clint's shirt off so she could examine him further as Coulson and the rest of the team watched. While Jemma was examining Clint, Fitz checked Tamara’s blood sugar. 

“Jemma, her glucose level is dangerously low, it's only 50. Should we start an IV?”

"Yes Fitz, you know what I need. D5W for her and saline for him."

Everyone was a bit surprised when Trip moved forward; Koenig unlocked a cabinet and opened it, displaying the drugs and medical supplies inside. Trip found the IV solutions and handed all the necessary supplies to Fitz. Jemma took the saline solution and started an IV on Clint as Trip started an IV on Tamara. Jemma stitched up Clint’s head wound, then laid a blanket over his bare chest.

“How is he?” Coulson couldn’t hide his concern for Clint.

“I don’t understand how it’s happened but when I checked him outside, his abdomen had severe bruising and some swelling. It’s gone now, the only injuries remaining are the head wound and a few minor cuts and bruises on his arms and face. I am concerned that he hasn’t regained full consciousness, we’ll need to monitor him closely. If we have the equipment here, I need to do x-rays."

“And the girl?”

“Normal glucose levels should be a minimum of 70, assuming she’s eaten in the past 8 hours. Hers is low enough that seizures are a possibility but it would help to have a medical history for her. I can run an A1C test to check her long-term glucose levels, we can at least find out if she is diabetic.”

“Do it, keep me posted. Trip, I want you to stay here and stand guard over the girl until we know more. Check her for weapons and secure them.” 

Before Trip could move back to Tamara, Toi had changed from her war cat form back into her normal snow cat form and jumped on the bed where Tamara lay. She grabbed Tamara’s dagger and curled up protectively over it, hissing when anyone tried to get close to it. 

“What the bloody hell? Did you see that?”

“Skye, get pictures of that cat and send them to our friend in Seattle. See if he recognizes it, we need to know if it is Asgardian. Send him pictures of the girl as well, it’s pretty clear the cat is with her and not Clint.”

Koenig led Coulson and May from the room as Skye snapped a couple of pictures of Tamara and Toi. She noticed the writing on the bracelets and that only some portions of it were glowing. “This looks like what was on that staff, maybe it's Asgardian.” Skye sent the photos off to the Asgardian now living in Seattle. It didn’t take long before her phone beeped with a reply. Skye read the message, then left the medical ward to find Coulson.

“AC, you need to see this.” She handed him her phone and he read the message. 

“Looks like she might be a friendly then.”

Jemma’s voice came over the intercom system, “Sir Agent Barton is waking up.”

“May, he knows you. Debrief him while Agent Koenig and I talk. I’ll be by in a little bit.”


	17. Chapter 17

May walked back to medical with Skye; she knew that Barton didn’t know Coulson was alive yet and she wondered if she should tell him. Medical was chaos when they returned; the girl was jerking on the bed as Trip tried to hold her down. They arrived just in time to see Barton push Jemma aside and jab the girl with something, leaving a needle sticking out of her leg as he grabbed her hand.

“Tam, c’mon, wake up please.” He rubbed her hand as he leaned in closer to her. “They’ll never forgive me, please, wake up.” Toi had jumped to the bed holding the dagger and dropped it on her chest, then proceeded to lick Tamara’s face. Trip and Jemma had recovered from their surprise and Jemma moved to check on her. Clint grabbed the dagger and held it as though he would use it on Jemma if she came any closer.

“Take it easy Agent Barton, you’re safe here.” Jemma tried to calm him, holding her hands out to show she wasn’t armed.

“Barton, stand down.”

Clint looked up and saw May standing by the door. He relaxed slightly and placed the dagger in front of himself but didn’t move from Tamara’s side. “I need to check her sugar, make sure it’s going back up. Where are we?”

“That’s classified Clint, but you are safe.”

“When we heard you went back out in the field, Tasha and I couldn’t believe it. You trust them?” He cocked his head to the side, waiting for May’s response.

“I do, they were hand-picked by someone we trust. Let Jemma help her.”

Clint nodded and Jemma moved closer. “You know what’s wrong with her, don’t you?”

“Yeah, her name’s Tamara, we need to get her sugar back up to at least 140.”

“Is she diabetic? She was carrying glucagon, I used it on her when she collapsed.”

“Huh, no. But her blood sugar needs to be higher than normal, 140 to 150 is normal for her. Before you ask, I can’t tell you why. It’s something everyone decided was need to know; unless she chooses to tell you herself.”

“Is she dangerous?”

“To you? Not unless you try to hurt one of us or Toi here.” Clint stroked the cat as he talked. The sound of voices outside caught his attention and he looked up just in time to see Coulson walk through the door. “What the fuck?”

“Clint, it’s good to see you.”

“You’re not Phil, he died. Who the hell are you?” Clint picked the dagger back up and held it lightly.

“It really is me, Clint. Didn’t Fury tell you I was alive?” He could see that Barton was shook up even though he knew not even May could tell. “Everyone out, go find Koenig, he said something about getting you all lanyards.”

Clint moved to stand between Coulson and Tamara. “Who the hell are you? I won’t ask again. Phil died, I went to his funeral."

“To make it short, I was dead but Fury had them use an experimental drug to save me. They said my heart was severely damaged and I was in a coma for a while, then rehab and physiotherapy. I understand why Fury let everyone think I was dead; they didn’t know if I’d ever wake up. I’ve only been back in the field a couple of months now.” 

Clint relaxed a little and turned back to check on Tamara. Coulson had never seen him so concerned about anyone except Natasha.

“She told us someone came after you, that they shot down one of Stark’s planes. Who is she and why is someone after her?”

Clint rubbed his face, then sighed. “She’s family, a lot has changed with you gone. We all live in Stark’s tower in New York now. Everyone trusted me to get her out and keep her safe. Tasha and Steve sent a message yesterday that SHIELD was compromised by Hydra. I was taking her to a safehouse when someone opened fire on the plane. Last thing I remember is trying to find a place to crash safely." 

“Family? Like you and Tasha?”

“Not just us, all of the Avengers are like a dysfunctional family now, she’s like the little sister. Bruce had it right, we were like a time bomb waiting to explode. She saved my life Phil and she had no idea who I was.” Clint continued to rub Tamara’s hand, making small circles over the back of it.

Coulson pulled a chair up, “What happened?”

“Tasha had a mission and Fury ordered me to take a vacation so I went to Miami. After Loki, it was hard for me around bases, everyone looked at me differently. I can count on one hand the people who trusted me after Loki. Steve did; had no idea who I was except that Loki had controlled me but that Tasha trusted me anyways.” Clint grew quiet as he remembered the way people had looked at him afterwards. “Anyways, my last night in Miami, I ran across a gang that was taking runaways and selling them as sex slaves or something. I got hit in the head when I interfered and was knocked out; she found me and took me home, patched me up. When Tasha got back and I wasn’t home, she got concerned, especially when my phone showed up in police evidence storage. The whole team came looking for me and Bruce ran into an old friend. Tam had been working with a group of street kids fighting back against the gangs and they went after her. By then, the team had a pretty good idea she had found me and they went looking for her, only the gangs found her first.” He lifted his head a little and Coulson could see the guilt he still carried. “ She could have gotten away safely but she refused to leave me behind. I was still kinda groggy when we had to leave her shack so it’s a little fuzzy. I remember her shoving me down in a boat, then she collapsed on top of me, bleeding from her back. Steve got to us first, said he heard me yell for Hulk; bullet clipped her spine and she was paralyzed for a while. She was still a minor and Fury offered to find her a foster home but Steve decided the team owed her so we took her back to the tower; she’s lived there ever since.”

“What are you not telling me?” Coulson knew Clint well enough to know he was hiding something.

Clint shook his head. “It’s not up to me, it’s up to her. There are things about her that everyone agreed not to tell anyone. If she wants someone to know, she can tell them.”

“I find it hard to believe she’s that important for saving one person, even you.” Coulson couldn’t keep the skepticism from his voice.

“It’s not that at all, that’s just why she lived with us until her birthday. She kinda grows on you and she cares about us; would you believe Tony leaves the lab willingly when she cooks? And Hulk adores her while Bruce has someone who understands running like the rest of us never could admit to. Thor treats her like a sister; I work with her on the range with Tasha; Tasha and Steve teach her self defense. There’s more but that’s up to her to share.”

“Fair enough, what about the cat? Fitz says it might be Asgardian?”

“Toi? Thor brought her back from Asgard as a present for Tamara’s birthday, she’s kinda their version of a lynx or bobcat. Oh and you need to tell your people not to try to touch her dagger. Short story is it’s magic and only certain people can touch it without dying. And don’t take her bracelets off either, they’re not weapons but they are Asgardian.”

“Is that why they glow?”

“No but that’s something else she has to explain. I’m sorry Phil but you know I never break a promise. If we’d known you were alive, I’d made sure you were an exception.” A slight groan from Tamara had Clint turning to face her. “You got soda or juice, any kind as long as it’s not sugar-free.” 

Coulson activated his earwig, “Koenig, we got any juice or regular soda? OK, have Jemma bring some back here.”

By the time Jemma returned with a couple bottles of juice, Tamara was moving around more although she wasn’t fully aware. Fitz had accompanied her carrying a tray of sandwiches and Clint gladly took one for himself as Jemma set a bowl of milk down for Toi. Toi looked at the bowl, then meowed at Clint. 

“Go ahead girl, it’s safe, we can trust Phil.” He offered Toi a piece of his sandwich and she took it carefully before drinking the milk. After she finished the bowl, she seemed to shrink down even smaller until she was the size of an ordinary house cat before curling up with Tamara. She watched as Jemma checked Tamara’s blood sugar and removed the IV, then purred when Jemma’s hand came close. 

“She likes you, you can pet her, she loves the attention.”

“Clint, this is Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz. Jemma is life sciences while Fitz is engineering. May’s our pilot and the other woman is Skye, our computer expert. The guy that was holding your friend down is Antoine Triplett, specialist.”

“She’s beautiful, what exactly is she?” Jemma reached a hand out to Toi and was surprised when the cat head butted her palm.

“Well, this is how most people see her but the way she just looked is her normal form. She’s an Asgardian snowcat, kinda the equivalent to a Lynx here.”

“When we first encountered you she was much larger, bigger than even a tiger.”

“Most people never see that form, she’s what Thor called a war cat. Apparently on Asgard these cats sometimes bond with warriors and fight by their side. Toi is bonded to Tamara, and she’s a lot smarter than you’d think. We made a trip to Asgard not too long ago; Toi was made a war cat which means she can change size and she has armor for battle.”

Toi shifted and laid a paw on Clint’s arm causing him to turn around. “Tam’s close to waking up.” Sure enough, a couple minutes later Tamara opened her eyes to find Clint watching her with several people she didn’t know.

“Clint, where are we?”

“We’re safe, how you feeling?”

“The usual, headache and I’m starved, still cold.” She couldn’t hide a shiver.

Clint handed her a bottle of juice and a sandwich as she sat up and turned to face everyone. She pulled the blanket around herself as she looked over the three people watching her with curiosity evident on the face of the younger two. The older man had his face schooled into a calm mask so Tamara let herself relax and felt for his emotions. She was surprised to feel slight anger from him but it wasn’t directed at either of them. What was more surprising was the happiness she could feel from both him and Clint. She was a bit unsteady when she climbed off the bed and she leaned on Clint as she focused on checking him for injuries.

“Stop it Tam, I’m fine now, just a little sore. You’re too weak to be doing that now. C’mon, let’s get some real food in you.”

Coulson led them from the room back to what appeared to be the main gathering area. A small kitchen area was along one wall while couches were scattered around the room. Clint watched as she sat down on one couch, pulling the blanket over herself and huddling under it. “I’ve never been this cold, how long was I out?”

“I don’t know but you were seizing when I came to. We need to let Jake know his injections worked, got your sugar back up fast. You want carbs or sugars?”

“Carbs if I can get some fruit to go with it.” As she was talking her hands were moving in what Coulson recognized as sign language. Even though it was a jumble of words, it was clear Clint knew what she was asking. 

“You can trust him Tam; this is Phil Coulson.” Tamara’s eyes widened slightly but she said nothing as Coulson introduced everyone to Tamara and watched their reactions to seeing the cat even smaller than it had appeared before.

Before introductions were over, Clint had sat a large plate of pancakes down in front of Tamara along with a fruit bowl and a glass of juice. Tamara ate slowly as she studied the people watching them. Slowly she let down her mental walls and allowed herself to feel the emotions in the room. Skye’s emotions matched her expression as did Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz. Agents May and Triplett were both very good at hiding what they were feeling but she could feel the curiosity from Triplett and the anger that May was holding back. Toi curled up in her lap and purred loudly enough for everyone to hear. _‘Toi, think we can trust them?’_

Toi’s only response was to climb down from the couch and change into her war cat form, complete with armor. She sniffed the air, then paced across the floor towards Jemma and gently head-butted her legs. Jemma only hesitated a few seconds before stroking Toi's ears. Toi purred softly then leaned into the caress. Fitz was seated beside Jemma and he slowly reached a hand out to stroke Toi’s thick fur. Toi turned and regarded him with her violet eyes before nudging his hand. Skye was clearly nervous when the extremely large cat stalked over to her but she had figured this was some kind of test so she did her best to relax when Toi moved close. 

Trip took the initiative in approaching Toi and she purred approvingly at him. May was more reserved but she didn’t react when Toi approached her, simply watched the cat. Coulson had sat down on one of the couches with a plate of pancakes and he was taken by surprise when Toi changed into her house cat form and climbed into his lap. Toi didn’t stay long with him before returning to Tamara to beg a piece of pancake covered in syrup from her before staring at her as they communicated. _‘Like, scared, hide, friends.’_

Clint sat another large plate of pancakes in front of Tamara and ruffled Toi’s fur as he sat a small plate down in front of her. Toi grabbed his hand in her mouth and he just laughed as he tapped her nose.

“You’re not afraid of her?” Skye couldn’t hide her surprise at his bold behavior given how large the cat had recently appeared.

“Nope, she’d never hurt me without good reason. She’s what, over a year old now Tam? I’ve known her since she was just a baby so I don’t advise any of you to get rough with her.”

“Has she ever hurt anyone?”

“Oh yeah, that armor isn’t just for show. Tam?” Clint looked over at Tamara and saw a quick nod. “Toi has fought along with the team, but it’s Tam she loves. When we were on Asgard, she attacked a wild boar to help Thor. We were hunting and a wild boar tore his horse up. Thor got it with a spear but couldn’t let go until Toi attacked; she distracted it long enough for him to get free and kill it.”

“I had heard rumors of a giant cat at the scene of some Avenger battles but everyone said it had to be a trained tiger or something.” Agent Triplett sounded confused.

Tamara relaxed as she finished off another stack of pancakes. “That was Toi, but when she changes into her war cat form we call her Shadow. I guess you could say it's her code name. Only Director Fury knew the truth about her.” She reached out to feel Clint and was surprised at how calm he was, much of the pain she’d felt from him since her empathy developed was gone. “There’s more but before I tell you, you have to swear not to ever tell anyone what I tell you. The more people that know, the more dangerous the information can be.”

“What about Ward?” came the question from Skye.

“I don’t know who that is but if they’re not here right now, then no, you can’t tell them. Without meeting someone, I don’t know if I can trust them with the info yet. And just to give you an idea, the only people in SHIELD that knew anything special about me were Director Fury and Agent Hill and it’s not written down anywhere. If you can’t agree to this, then I’ll ask you to leave.”

Tamara waited to see if anyone wanted to leave as she finished eating and tried to decide just how much to tell them. Clint sat down on a couch across from her and she signed a question at him. _‘How much?’_

 _‘Medic yes, heal no, Toi yes, mind no, tools yes, Loki no’_ Clint signed back. Everyone watched the flash of fingers but since they were using a code the Avengers created for their own use, no one had any idea what they were discussing. 

“Last chance to leave.” When no one left she took a drink of juice before beginning to speak again. “First, biggest warning, don’t ever try to touch this dagger. It’s Asgardian and has an enchantment on it to prevent people from using it. It belongs to me but the Avengers and a couple other people can handle it, but they can’t change it or use it.” She took the dagger out as she spoke and suddenly she was holding a sword in her hands. “Sif came to help me train with it and she won’t even touch it.” Suddenly the sword was again a dagger and Tamara stuck it back into a sheath on her belt. “These bracelets are also from Asgard but they aren’t weapons. Each of these runes represent either one of the Avengers or another specific person. When the rune is glowing, like several are right now, it tells me that person is injured; the brighter the glow, the more serious the injury.” 

Toi curled up in Tamara’s lap and began to purr loudly as Tamara stroked her head. “Toi was a gift from Thor last year for my birthday. She was an orphan and he got permission from Frigga to give her to me since Odin’s wolves aren’t fond of cats. The middle size you saw is her birth form but most of the time she looks like a regular house cat. However, after a trip to Asgard for the Queen’s birthday, Toi was changed through magic, so now she can become as large as a war cat and she fights with the Avengers in battles. Most often, she helps me in getting civilians out of danger but we also use her for recon work since most people would ignore a cat if it looks normal. We are bonded so I can talk to her through telepathy and she relays to me what she sees, then I can tell the team.”

“Wait a minute, you talk like you’re out there with them.” Agent Triplett moved closer as he watched Toi and Tamara interact.

“That’s because she is, Agent Triplett. She’s trains with all of us but her most important job isn’t really battle. She’s a trained paramedic and she goes with us as our medic. Most of the time, she’s on retrieval but otherwise she’s an additional sniper unless someone gets hurt.”

“Is it safe?”

“What, you think because I’m young I can’t take care of myself? I’ve been fighting for a long time, I can take care of myself.” Clint could hear the flash of anger in her voice when she snapped at Agent Triplett.

Clint could see the way Coulson was studying Tamara. “It’s true, she can protect herself. We can talk later, right now, she’s gonna need someplace to crash.”

Tamara had tried to hide her fatigue but Clint knew her too well and knew the after effects of her healing. Using the injection had given her a quick boost that stopped the seizures but she still needed sleep and time to recover fully. Coulson nodded as Clint pulled Tamara to her feet then grabbed a couple bottles of juice as Jemma stood as well and offered to show them to empty rooms.

Several minutes later Jemma returned and informed Coulson that Barton was waiting for him in his office. Coulson left the team talking about what they had seen after a reminder that they were not to tell anyone else, not even Ward, unless Clint gave them permission. They weren’t even to mention to Ward that Clint was there since he knew that the two had a difference of opinion more than once in the gym. 

Coulson and May joined Clint in the office as the others relaxed. Several hours later, Clint made his way to the bunk assigned to him. In the early morning hours a loud scream woke up everyone. Skye’s room was next to Tamara’s and she pounded on the door as Jemma came to join her. May arrived and kicked the door open to reveal Tamara huddled in the corner with her dagger in hand and terror in her eyes. Coulson arrived with Clint in tow and shooed everyone back as Clint entered the room. 

He crouched down close to Tamara but kept out of reach of the dagger as he spoke softly to her for several minutes before she lowered it. When she finally looked up at everyone, she shivered at the memories before regaining control of her emotions, then grabbing a blanket, she followed Clint from the room. They went back to the main room where Clint brought her a cup of water and she drained it before handing it back to him. He sat down on one end of the couch and Tamara curled up beside him, his hand resting across her back. Toi joined them on the back of the couch and purred softly as they drifted back off to sleep. 

Tamara woke slightly confused the next morning to the smell of breakfast in the air and a hand resting across her back. She could smell coffee brewing as a slight chuckle let her know Clint was awake.

“Morning Tam, you feeling any better?”

She stretched like a cat as she sat up, allowing Clint to get up to grab a cup of coffee. She was surprised when a mug was held out to her and she could smell the rich cocoa and cinnamon.

“Agent Barton said you prefer cocoa with cinnamon, I hope I got it right?”

Tam took the mug and sniffed, then took a careful sip feeling the warmth spread down her throat. “This is wonderful. Thank you. It’s Agent Simmons, right?”

“Yes, but call me Jemma, I’d like to be friends.”

Clint returned with his coffee and it was clear he knew what she was thinking. “You didn’t hurt anyone Tam.” 

Tamara relaxed and Jemma wondered just what was going on with this young girl. Before she could say anything, Fitz was calling out a greeting as he entered the room. 

“Morning Jemma, Director.”

“Fitz, help Trip with the dishes, May and Skye will be here in a few minutes.”

Tamara watched as everyone finished getting breakfast ready, still a little unsteady and worried about what they might think of her after the previous night. Clint carried a plate over and set it down in front of her along with a pitcher of juice. He returned with his own plate and two cups and sat down beside her. He looked up as Agents May and Skye entered the room and nodded at them before beginning to eat.

Tamara pushed her food around as the other people found seats and began to eat. She always felt horrible after waking anyone with a nightmare and she wondered how many people she had disturbed the night before. Before she could say anything, Clint leaned over and bumped her shoulder with his. “Just eat Tam. I know most of the people here, by reputation if nothing else. Nightmares are part of the job.”

“He’s right, we all sleep lightly, especially now. You don’t have to talk about them, but we do need to know how to handle it if you have one and Clint is not around.” Coulson tried to reassure the younger woman.

“May could maybe bring her down from it, she’s enough like Tasha it’d be worth a try. I think you could talk her out of it Sir. Not sure about Agent Triplett, she might perceive him as a threat. The other three should be fine, as long as they keep out of reach until she begins to calm down. But she’s not likely to have another anytime soon, it’s a very specific trigger.”

Clint ate quickly, occasionally feeding Toi bits of breakfast and poking at Tamara’s side until she started eating. When she finished, he took the plates as she sat uncomfortably on the couch. “Where’s the gym boss man?”

Skye offered to show them the way after she finished eating. FitzSimmons finished eating and headed for the labs as Koenig spoke quietly with Coulson. Skye finished eating and left her dishes with Trip who had volunteered to clean up. Clint and Tamara followed her to the gym but Skye left them alone, stating she was joining FitzSimmons in the labs.

Clint took in the standard SHIELD issue equipment, along with a few non-standard items. Tamara had slept in shorts and a t-shirt over her sports bra but she slipped the shirt off before beginning to stretch restlessly. Clint just waited on a mat for her, he knew when she had a nightmare she needed a way to relieve the stress it created and he didn’t mind helping. After only a couple of minutes, Tamara joined him on the mat and they began to spar as Toi lay watching them. 

When they finally stopped, both of them were dripping with sweat and Clint playfully swatted at Tamara when she stuck her tongue out at him. Neither one was in their best condition after the crash but that didn’t mean they went easy on each other. Tamara was a bit startled when someone stuck a bottle of water in her face and she reacted without thinking, swinging her arm out to knock the person down. To her surprise, the blow was easily blocked and she looked up to see Clint grinning at Coulson.

“You been watching long?”

“Long enough to know you're compensating, go see Jemma.”

“Actually, Tam takes care of all that now. I’d rather not have more people poking around in my head or knowing my secrets.”

Coulson nodded, he knew what Clint was trying to keep hidden. “You can trust Jemma, but if you prefer to have your friend tend to you, I understand, given the circumstances. I just want you to know I trust Jemma like I trust you.”

Clint rose and held out a hand to Tamara. “We'll head to medical after I get her some more to eat.”

Tamara pulled her shirt back on then followed Clint from the gym. After living with the team for months, she no longer thought about how much she needed to eat. Once they reached the kitchen area, Clint fixed several sandwiches for the two of them, then pulled a glucose meter from his pocket and waited for Tamara to test her levels. 

“120 Clint”

He nodded and grabbed a couple of bananas. “I saw some dried blueberries and trail mix.”

Tamara took one banana and began to peel it. “Won't they say anything about what we eat?”

Clint sat down next to Tamara. “One thing you can count on is Coulson will make sure everyone gets enough to eat. If I tell him you need to eat more than most people, he’ll make sure any adjustments are made. He takes care of his people.”

Tamara stopped eating to reply, “I'm not one of his people.”

“Don't let the director hear you say that.” Jemma walked over to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of juice. “You live with the Avengers, trust me, that alone would make him consider you one of his people. Not to mention Agent Barton and the way you risked yourself to help him.”

Tamara continued to eat but Clint could see something was bothering her. “What's up?”

“I don’t know” she replied as her bracelets began to glow more brightly. 

Clint turned one bracelet to see which rune was glowing. “Steve”. As he watched, the glow became brighter and Tamara grabbed her right shoulder. The flash of pain was gone as quickly as it appeared but the glow continued to brighten. As the seconds passed, she could feel a faint thread of pain running throughout her body. Another sharp stab of pain to her left leg brought tears to her eyes.

A glow appeared in the room and Jemma gasped in surprise as an alarm began to sound. As a figure began to appear in the glow, Tamara screamed and clutched her stomach, almost falling from her chair in the process. She curled in on herself, tears beginning to fall as Jemma and Clint tried to steady her.

A tan hand rested on Tamara’s shoulder and Jemma looked up to see a woman in a long white dress with dark hair. “Her empathy is too strong, she is feeling his pain.”

The woman moved to pick Tamara up as Toi pressed closer. “I can put her beyond the pain for now. But you must go to them, he will need his friends close as he recovers.” A soft glow spread from her hands and Tamara drifted into sleep.

“Thank you, but how did you know she needed help?”

“I was seeking her and felt her pain. With Thor on Asgard as Frigga heals, she is the only one I trust to honor a request.” She reached into the folds of the dress and pulled out a tiny black kitten. “I need her to care for this one until he is strong enough to return to his own form.”

Toi took the tiny kitten gently in her mouth as though daring anyone to take it away. Clint didn't argue, he knew what Tamara’s answer would be by Toi’s actions. “Can you get us back to the tower or do I need to find a way?”

“I can take you through the secret paths to Asgard and Heimdall can send you home from there. Gather what you need and be quick, she will not sleep long.”

Clint left the room quickly, running down the hall to his room to grab his bow, then stopping by Tamara’s room to grab the satchel from Loki. Everything else could be replaced. When he returned to the main room, he found Bast waiting quietly while Toi paced protectively between her and Coulson’s team. “It’s OK, she’s a friend of Thor’s. Send the rest of our things to the tower when you get a chance.”

Coulson lowered his gun as Clint walked over to join Bast, still cradling Tamara in her arms. With just a thought, Bast opened a portal to Asgard, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. She entered the portal with Toi by her side. Clint paused for a moment to look back at Coulson before following Bast into the light and vanishing.


End file.
